Eastbound Bay Bridge To Close On Weekend

The entire eastbound lower deck of the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge will be closed for seismic upgrades throughout Labor Day weekend, potentially inconveniencing tens of thousands of Bay Area residents.

The bridge will close Friday at 11:59 p.m. and re-open Tuesday at 5 a.m. The westbound deck of the bridge will remain open.

Caltrans is going to tear down 1,000 feet of the upper deck over the weekend. The project represents the last crucial demolition of the ongoing seismic retrofit of the Bay Bridge, said John Goodwin, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which oversees transportation planning in the Bay Area.

"The lower deck is being closed because we can't have motorists driving underneath," Goodwin said. "It's strictly a public safety measure."

Caltrans officials strongly suggest taking BART, which will add new hours during the weekend. Trains will run all through the night to 14 select stations, including Downtown Berkeley and both Bay Area airport stops, starting Friday night and ending 1 a.m. Tuesday.

In addition, the Alameda/Oakland Ferry, Vallejo Baylink Ferry and Muni will add hours.

But Goodwin said those who still drive will have to take an alternate route, either Highway 101 south to the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge or 101 north to the Golden Gate Bridge and then the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

Despite the holiday, Caltrans research indicates that Labor Day weekend is the weekend with the least traffic in September, Goodwin said. The long weekend also lets the bridge work be completed in three days rather than over two weekends.

But the renovation could mean a hassle for UC Berkeley students who want to travel between campus and San Francisco over the long weekend.

"For me, to take BART would mean two hours waiting for BART and the bus. That's three to four hours just to get my ass here and buy a book," said junior Ivana Goldstein, who lives in San Francisco's Marina District.

Junior Eric Norman, who said he has plans to head into the city Saturday night, offers a different view.

"Actually, I like the idea that BART is going to be open through the night," Norman said. "It's better than driving."

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