Bay Bridge Back Open

Caltrans did its job!?!?

​The upper deck of the Bay Bridge is back open this morning, 24 hours ahead of schedule. This is newsworthy if for no other reason than the fact that Caltrans never does anything on time, much less ahead of schedule.

But Caltrans says it was the good weather that motivated the speedy construction work, which was planned to continue through tomorrow morning. The bridge closed Friday night to allow demolition and construction on the new, sleek eastern span, which is scheduled to open next year. At 7 p.m. Sunday, crews began removing the orange cones, and the first cars were passing over the upper deck by 8 p.m.

With the bridge back open, BART is refusing to carry the commuting load on its own. The transit agency tells reporters that it will not provide overnight service between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Tuesday, as previously planned.

We're thrilled to have our Bay Bridge back open, but Caltrans says drivers should still be very careful crossing through the toll plaza, where the merging will be different. Caltrans says 20 lanes will be merged down to five, and they will curve slightly to the south, according to media outlets.

Drive safely.

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