Caltrans

Caltrans Suspends Bay Bridge Repair Project Due to Traffic Delays

The California Department of Transportation has suspended a two-month repair project on the Bay Bridge because it caused significant traffic delays on Friday, according to Caltrans spokesman Bob Haus.

The expansion joint replacement project on the western span of the Bay Bridge required installation of steel plates on the deck, Haus said. Wear-and-tear cracks were found along the span.

But the project snarled traffic, especially near the toll plaza.

"I live in Oakland, and when I got to about past Telegraph exit, it was just like brake lights stopped," commuter Kendyl Ryan said.

Ryan knew the drive would take more than an hour, so she ditched her car and jumped on BART. On Sunday, she heard the plates were suddenly gone.

"Amazing, yes tomorrow is going to be a lot better then I was preparing for an hour and a half, 2 hour commute tomorrow but it sounds like that won't happen," Ryan said.

Haus said during the suspension, Caltrans will look at ways to ease the impact on traffic.

"We decided to suspend the project and to get together tomorrow morning, the whole project team, and look at all of our options, see if we can come up with some way of doing this project that isn’t quite as disruptive," Haus said.

The project was scheduled to go for 60 days and was to be completed by the end of December.

Caltrans activated changeable message boards Friday to alert drivers of the project, and officials were advising motorists to expect some delays for the duration of the project and to allow for additional travel time.

Some said despite the bridge signs, they needed more notice.

"If somebody had to come across, just slam on their brakes, they need some warning about that," commuter Jason Brown said.

At least for the short term, commuters will not have to worry about plates on the roadway, until the project resumes.

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