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TRANSACTIONS NEWSLETTER ONLINE

July/August 2007

Project Update:
East Span Maneuver Closes Bay Bridge for Labor Day Weekend

Just east of the Yerba Buena Island tunnel, construction crews are working round-the-clock on a replacement for a key chunk of the East Span road deck. (Photo: John Huseby, Caltrans)

Regular travelers across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge have undoubtedly noticed the massive construction effort ramping up near the Yerba Buena Island tunnel’s eastern entrance. Crews are working 20-hour days, seven days a week at the site, fabricating a section of road deck that is a crucial piece in the replacement of the bridge’s East Span.

Shortly after the bridge closes to traffic on Friday, August 31, crews will demolish the affected area of the existing upper deck and haul away the debris. The already completed new roadway section (which is taking shape just to the south of the existing deck) will then be rolled into place along special tracks to be placed temporarily across the lower deck. The new segment replaces a 70-year old piece of the existing bridge for now, and eventually will serve as the link to the Yerba Buena Island tunnel for the westbound deck of the new East Span.

The entire Bay Bridge will be closed to traffic in both directions over the Labor Day weekend, allowing crews to demolish some 350 feet of the original upper deck, and install the new seismically sound piece. When the bridge reopens after the weekend, westbound drivers will inaugurate the first section of the new East Span to hold traffic.

The 6,500-ton new section and a moveable support system are taking shape immediately to the south of the existing roadway. The new segment is being constructed atop an extensive wooden frame of false work, so that it is at grade with the upper deck and can be rolled into place.

This intricate operation may spur many Bay Area residents to get an early start on out-of-town excursions over the long holiday weekend. Demolition and installation work will take three full days, so the Bay Bridge will be closed to traffic in both directions at 8 p.m. on Friday, August 31, and reopened by 5 a.m. on Tuesday, September 4. (FasTrak® lane restriping will also take place during the closure. See story.)

The work is similar in many ways to the demolition of a roughly 1,000-foot length of the Bay Bridge West Approach in San Francisco that was performed over Labor Day weekend in 2006 and forced a three-day closure of the eastbound (lower deck) lanes of the Bay Bridge. The key difference between this year and last is that installation of the new roadway segment will require closure of the span in both directions.

“By closing the bridge in both directions, we can perform this essential seismic safety work efficiently and safely,” said Caltrans Spokesman Bart Ney.

Caltrans, MTC and other transportation agencies are coordinat- ing efforts to ensure mobility options for transbay travelers. BART will run all-night service to select stations over Labor Day weekend, extra vessels will be deployed to expand ferry service on select routes, and San Francisco Muni is planning route and scheduling changes to accommodate the bridge closure. There will be no bus service across the Bay Bridge. Travelers who must drive between San Francisco and the East Bay are advised to use the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, or the Richmond-San Rafael and Golden Gate bridges.

When the bridge reopens to traffic early in the morning of Tuesday, September 4, westbound motorists approaching the Yerba Buena Island tunnel likely will not notice any visible difference in the roadway. But they will be driving on a seismically upgraded section that eventually will connect the tunnel with the new East Span.
— John Goodwin & Karin Betts

As Labor Day weekend nears, MTC’s 511 phone service and 511.org Web site will be the official source for transit information and traffic conditions. Construction updates also will be posted on baybridgeinfo.org.

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