Ah, last Friday. Remember that day? Back when the BART strike seemed certain (unless you were SFist’s prescient Jay Barmann, that is), and TV newscasters filed reports that weren’t “more on our continuing coverage of BART running as usual today.”
Last Friday, we were making lunch plans with our East Bay working friends and feeling smug about never having to leave the city. Last Friday, reader Shane emailed us, asking:
I was wondering: what happens to the planned Bay Bridge closure if the BART strike continues through Labor Day weekend? I pray BART management and the ATU come to an agreement before then, but does Caltrans have a worst-case-scenario course of action planned?
Caltrans had been preparing for a BART strike since July, but on Friday we checked in with Caltrans spokesperson, Lauren Wonder (fighting the good fight with Muni spokesperson Judson True for Best Flack Name) to see what the plan was for the closure planned September 3-8 (hahah click on this link and rollover the sign. It swings! THIS IS FUN!).
“We cannot afford to delay the project any further” said Wonder. “We will have to look at what happens over the next few days, get more people into one vehicle” such as buses and charter vehicles and “if the strike is still on that weekend, people will have to use other bridges to get to and from the city.”
Of course, it’s not over until ATU votes. But confirmation of the crazy clusterfuck that could have been has us hoping that everything goes down smooth and easy.
