Here’s our coverage: Bay Bridge To Be “Closed Indefinitely,” Here’s A List Of Transit Alternatives (Man that’s long! Sorry about that), Free Hot Dogs With BART Ticket At Zog’s Today (which totally counts as coverage because the free dog is a Bay Bridge Dog and is BROKEN, get it?)
AlertSF: At 9:04 this morning, AlertSF sent this message to inboxes:
The Bay Bridge remains closed indefinately (sic) with no estimate for re-opening by Caltrans. Please avoid impacted areas and utilize alternate forms of transportation. No further AlertSF notifications will be made unless there is new information about the expected opening.
Oh, OK, thanks!
Chron: Bridge reopening: It could be days snatching the spotlight from the “City Brights” chattering class, the newsroom part of the operation clocks back in at 8:11 this morning. Key points:
— it was hard to work on the Bridge last night because it was real windy, which impedes welding.
— Caltrans spokesperson Bart Ney is quoted, when asked for a repair timetable, as saying “Hopefully, we’re not talking about anything longer than days.”
— Go Ferry! This morning’s commute: freeways were terrible, Westbound BART was SRO by 5:30 AM, BART parking lots were full, Ferries were not busy.
ABC7: Bay Bridge closed indefinitely Datelined 7:22 this morning, this piece looks like it contains notes from Caltrans’ press conference this morning, saying (somewhat confusingly, perhaps):
Engineers have been looking at the problem overnight and they are still waiting, they know what the problem is or at least a fix for it. They know what parts are needed to repair the bridge and they have them on the bridge already.
“There are pieces that we had created for the repair and this is one of those. The eyebar was found locally and that is the thing that cracked, and not the pieces from Arizona,” said Ney.
There were no injuries, but Caltrans is investigating what caused the pieces, that were attached to support the cracked eyebar, to break loose. Although there were high winds on Tuesday, it is unclear if that contributed to the incident.
So they know what’s wrong, they know how to fix it, the parts are there, a local part is to blame (take that, “City Bright” Yobie Benjamin and your outsourcing freakout!), they’re not sure why said part broke maybe wind? and we’re still not sure when the Bridge will reopen. But you can probably safely bet your ass they they will not rush this time around!
SF Biz Times: S.F. Bay Bridge closed Filed at 6:48 this morning, they report that “Even before dawn, BART trains running from downtown Oakland under the bay were already quite crowded.”
Merc: Commuters adjust to Bay Bridge closure Commute seems OK so far, (but this was filed at 6:04 this morning). Crews worked all night to repair the Bridge because we all want to get back on it right away, right? Caltrans still doesn’t know when they’ll be done, but “materials needed for the repair are now on hand at the repair site east of the new S-curve on the bridge.” They quote Caltrans spokesperson Bart Ney as saying “We have all the materials on site…but there’s no prediction as to when we’ll reopen.”
ABC7: Video’s above, ABC spoke with UC Berkeley structural engineer Abohlhassan Astaneh about the bridge closure and why it might have fallen apart. (he spells his name Abolhassan Astaneh-Asl on Berkeley’s and his personal site, not that we’re trying to second-guess ABC7). He seems like a fun guy! Worth a watch. They also have live video of the area leading up to the closure.
AP: Tough commute likely after Bay Bridge rod snaps Astaneh-Asl was busy last night! According to this report, “The bridge’s age and design make it susceptible to collapse, especially if commercial tractor-trailers are allowed to continue using it, he said.” They quote him as saying “I think Caltrans is putting public relations ahead of public safety.” Burn!
SFGate: Bay Bridge Closure – bridge after cable breakage on YouTube videos “City Bright” Zennie went on YouTube and pulled some post-crack videos. At publication time, this was the Chronicle’s top result in the Google News page on the Bridge snaperoo. Bang up job, everyone.
