10/28 4:16 AM: Rather plaintively, the Bay Bridge’s last tweet was at 11:27 last night, and read “Please call 511 or visit 511.org for help with your morning commute. Thanks for your patience everyone.” OK! Here’s 511’s list of transit changes to deal with the bridge closure:
BART will run long trains tonight and end service at normal times. Will run longer trains all day on Wednesday, October 28, beginning at 4 am.
AC TransitFor the Wednesday morning commute, AC Transit will run regular weekday service, however buses will detour to four East Bay BART stations so that passengers can continue to San Francisco on BART. 800 All Nighter service will will operate on its regular schedule, but will go over the San Mateo bridge with the last bus leaving at 4:00 am Wednesday morning. AC Transit will operate as close to schedule as possible, but the re-routing may cause some delays.
Alameda/Oakland Ferry will run ferries every 30 minutes from 6 am – 8:45 pm on Wednesday, October 28.
Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry will run regular schedule on Wednesday, October 28.
Golden Gate Transit (Ferries) will have one extra high capacity ferry from Larkspur after 7 am on Wednesday, October 28.
Golden Gate Transit (Buses) will continue normal service and operate as close to schedule as they possibly can, given projected traffic.
Vallejo Baylink Ferry / Bus bus 200 will be re-routed over SR 37/San Rafael Bridge.
Muni route 108 to Treasure Island is running normal service.
Amtrak and Capitol Corridor
Amtrak: will operate a shuttle between the San Francisco and Martinez Stations for Coast Starlight and California Zephyr passengers. Advises San Joaquin and Capitol Corridor passengers to connect with BART at Richmond.
Caltrans Bay Bridge Bike Shuttle Service canceled Wednesday, October 28. Consider taking BART and locking your bike at the BART stations, as trains are likely to be crowded.
10/28 3:32 AM (BCN): As the California Department of Transportation this morning continued assess damage that fully shut down the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Tuesday, the transit agency also prepared for the closure to last through this morning’s commute by coordinating transit alternatives with other agencies.
BART is expected to run longer trains beginning at 4 a.m. and as needed throughout the day, Caltrans spokeswoman Lauren Wonder said in a statement.
The Alameda-Oakland Ferry also plans to run extra service on its ferry routes.
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District announced that all southbound lanes of the Golden Gate Bridge at the toll plaza will be open by 4 a.m. to accommodate heavy traffic.
Additionally, the district will add a high-capacity ferry departing from Larkspur for San Francisco at 7 a.m.
If necessary, Caltrans will expand to two lanes the interchange from southbound Interstate 880 to westbound Highway 92 to handle the extra traffic load possible on the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge.
Toll booths at all state-owned bridges and the Golden Gate Bridge are expected to be fully staffed, Wonder said.
Commuters can obtain real-time travel information from the 511.org Web site, or by dialing 511.
The Bay Bridge fully closed in both directions at about 8 p.m. Tuesday night after a crossbar and rods used in temporary repair work done to fix a cracked eyebar spotted on the bridge over the Labor Day weekend came loose, California Department of Transportation spokesman Bart Ney said.
An occupant of a Ryder Truck sustained a minor injury due to shattered glass from the fallen debris. No other injuries were reported.
Crews this morning were continuing to assess the situation and work on a final repair plan, according to Caltrans officials, who have made no estimate as to when the Bay Bridge might reopen.
10/27 10:09 PM (BCN): The California Department of Transportation is working with Bay Area transit agencies tonight to prepare for the possibility of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge remaining closed for the Wednesday morning commute.
The bridge was closed in both directions at about 8 p.m. tonight after a crossbar and rods used in temporary repair work done to fix a cracked eyebar spotted on the bridge over the Labor Day weekend came loose, California Department of Transportation spokesman Bart Ney said.
All traffic is being diverted to other bridges, and the CHP at about 9:30 p.m. was continuing to escort motorists who were on the bridge when the closure was implemented.
Caltrans said more than 40 portable, changeable messages are being used around the Bay Area, as well as overhead changeable message signs on freeways, to alert motorists of the closure.
The incident was reported at about 5:30 p.m. on the westbound deck, just east of the new S-curve and initially only affected westbound traffic, CHP Sgt. Trent Cross said.
Cross said the CHP received a report of a cable that had broken loose and struck three vehicles. Caltrans has since said no cables were involved in the incident, but that it was a crossbar and two rods that came loose.
An occupant of a Ryder Truck sustained a minor injury due to shattered glass from the fallen debris. No other injuries were reported.
BART spokesman Linton Johnson said the agency will run longer trains tonight to accommodate an increase in riders. In the event the bridge remains closed Wednesday morning, BART will run all available trains, Johnson said.
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District announced tonight that all southbound lanes of the Golden Gate Bridge in the toll plaza will be open by 4 a.m. to accommodate heavy traffic.
Additionally, the Golden Gate Ferry will be prepared to add a high-capacity vessel to operate after 7 a.m. from Larkspur to San Francisco, according to the district.
The crack in the bridge was originally discovered over the Labor Day weekend, when the bridge was closed to allow crews to work on the bridge replacement project.
Crews tonight were continuing to assess the situation and work on a final repair plan.
10/27 9:34 PM: If you need to get to or from the East Bay between midnight tonight at 4 tomorrow, you may be out of luck. BART says that though they’re “keeping longer trains running throughout regularly scheduled service this evening,” they “will not will not run overnight service early Wednesday, October 28th”.
10/27 9:12 PM: The Chron updates, saying that
— BART will bring in extra train operators “in anticipation of the thousands of additional riders likely to flock to the system.” BART spokesperson Linton Johnson is quoted as saying”We’re going to use every available piece of equipment, meaning all the cars we can possibly muster into service.”
— “Golden Gate Ferry will have an extra high-speed ferry ready if needed any time after 7 a.m. Plans for other ferries were still being developed Tuesday night.”
10/27 9:11 PM: A friend just IMed me and said “let’s go see if we can walk on the bridge!” Which souded kind of fun for a second, but then I thought of this. So maybe not. But who doesn’t love the idea of walking on an empty Bay Bridge?
10/27 8:51 PM: Commenter Erik notes “The part of the bridge that is broken isn’t required for a bus to get from SF to Treasure Island.” (Have we mentioned how happy we are not to have the type of comments one sees on the Gate, and to have comments like Erik’s instead?) But we must ask, if, as noted in the Merc story quoted in our update from 8:23, “Anytime you have something fail, it’s a concern. This is a structural piece of steel used to sustain the bridge.” If this statement from CHP spokesperson Officer Peter Van Eckhardt is accurate, is it wise to be using any portion of the Bridge? How independent are these segments of the Bridge?
10/27 8:44 PM: Despite the fact that Muni is apparently still running on a bridge CHP thinks juuuuust might collapse, AlertSF says “Multiple agencies are now reporting that the Bay Bridge is now closed in both directions due to a broken cable on the roadway with no estaimate for re-opening at this time. Avoid the bridge and consider using alternate forms of transportation for your auto commute into the City tomorrow.”
10/27 8:29 PM: MTA spokesperson Judson True cryptically announces “The 108 Treasure Island is providing normal Muni service to and from Treasure Island.” Does this mean the bridge is open again? Who knows?
10/27 8:23 PM: The Chron’s reporting that “the parts that fell were two high-strength rods and a saddle that were part of the emergency repair that delayed the opening of the bridge on Labor Day weekend” and that “a chunk of steel lay in the middle of the far left lane of the upper deck and an object that appeared to be a cable was on a Ryder truck dangling from the side of the span.”
The Merc (via SFist) is reporting that “the Bay Bridge will be completely shut down for an estimated 24 hours.” They note that the snapped cable is “east of the new S-curve,” and caused injuries to one person, saying “a motorist in one car was injured by broken glass from the car’s windshield. A CHP official said the person sustained minor injuries but did not have to go to the hospital following the incident.”
When asked by the Merc if this might cause the bridge to collapse, the Merc quotes a CHP spokesperson as saying “Anytime you have something fail, it’s a concern. This is a structural piece of steel used to sustain the bridge.”
10/27 8:18 (BCN): Transportation officials are shutting down the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in both directions tonight to assess possible structural damage after repair work made to the bridge last month came loose, California Department of Transportation spokesman Bart Ney said.
Ney said repair work done to fix a cracked eyebar spotted on the bridge over Labor Day weekend came loose this evening and the bridge will remain closed indefinitely as engineers assess the bridge.
The incident was reported at about 5:30 p.m. on the westbound deck, just east of the new S-curve, CHP Sgt. Trent Cross said.
Cross said the CHP received a report of a cable that had broken loose and struck three vehicles. An occupant of a Ryder Truck sustained a minor injury due to shattered glass. No other injuries were reported.
BART spokesman Linton Johnson said the agency will run longer trains tonight to accommodate an increase in riders. In the event the bridge remains closed Wednesday morning, BART will run all available trains, Johnson said.
10/27 8:06 PM: BART says that they are “making contingency plans to handle extra passengers anticipated if the Bay Bridge closure continues through Wednesday.”
They continue “Caltrans closed the bridge Tuesday evening in both directions after pieces of the cantilever section fell during the late-afternoon commute, and officials were assessing the damage. It was not immediately known how long the bridge would remain closed”.
10/27 7:38 PM: The SF MTA has announced, via spokesperson Judson True, that the Bay Bridge has been closed, requiring “Muni to suspend 108 Treasure Island service until further notice.” True proceeds “the SFMTA is deploying Parking Control Officers to assist with traffic control in downtown San Francisco.”
10/27 7:31 PM (AlertSF): Construction debris has fallen onto the road surface of the Bay Bridge closing several eastbound lanes west of the south curve and at least two westbound lanes are closed east of Treasure Island per CHP.
Caltrans also reports that they may be closing upper and lower deck within the next hour. Traffic is backed up. No injuries have been reported at this time. Avoid the impacted areas if at all possible.
Situation is developing and DEM will update as more information becomes available. The PORT is now planning contingencies if additional ferry services are required should this situation is not resolved by tomorrow’s commute.
10/27 7:08 PM (BCN): A cable apparently broke loose from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge this evening, striking three vehicles and creating heavy westbound traffic, a California Highway Patrol officer said.
The incident was reported at about 5:30 p.m. on the westbound deck, just east of the new S-curve, CHP Sgt. Trent Cross.
He said an occupant of a Ryder Truck sustained a minor injury when the cable struck the vehicle and caused glass to shatter. No other injuries were reported.
Two westbound lanes of the bridge remained closed at about 6:40 p.m. and there was no estimated time for when the lanes would reopen.
California Department of Transportation engineers are responding to the bridge to assess whether there is any structural damage and fix the broken cable, Cross said.
Motorists are advised to use alternative routes to reach San Francisco.
10/27 6:16 PM (BCN): A cable apparently broke loose from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and struck a vehicle this afternoon, a California Highway Patrol officer said.
The incident was reported at 5:47 p.m. on the westbound deck, just east of the new S-curve, CHP Officer Peter Van Eckhardt said.
Van Eckhardt said it appears one vehicle was hit by the cable. He said initial reports indicated one person was “shaken up” but was not seriously injured and did not require hospitalization.
He said traffic is backed up to the toll plaza.
Three westbound lanes are closed and the CHP is recommending that motorists heading to San Francisco avoid the Bay Bridge.
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