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VideoRepairs to the Bay Bridge made it safe to reopen Monday, but Caltrans may make other modifications that would require another temporary bridge closure this year, the highway agency's top engineer said.
"We are "... looking at a better solution with a more predictable performance for the long term that doesn't require as much monitoring," Rick Land, Caltrans chief engineer, said at a briefing to media members.
The repair fixed a brace that reinforced a cracked eyebar detected during this year's Labor Day weekend closure. The brace failed a week ago, sending heavy metal parts down onto the bridge deck.
Caltrans plans to decide within four or five months whether to make other changes to the repaired parts that would trigger another closure.
Meanwhile, motorists are rejoicing at the reopening of the Bay Bridge. Five California Highway Patrol cruisers escorted the first vehicles over the bridge at 8:56 a.m.
At least one motorist, Martha Gonzalvez, of Richmond, said she was feeling anxious about driving across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco Airport in the evening.
"To be honest, I'm a little nervous," she said. "If it failed once, there must have been a problem. Taking BART is looking like a very good option."
Land said crews made meticulous modifications to prevent the vibrations and metal-on-metal grinding that led to the failure a week ago.
"We have taken care of the big issues that led to this failure," Land
He said he is confident the repairs will hold up, but they require extensive and costly monitoring. For that reason, Caltrans is exploring other options that might be fitted onto the Bay Bridge east span for the four years remaining until the structure is replaced.
Land said the Labor Day weekend repair cost about $1.5 million. The latest repair had a similar cost, but a precise figure was not available.
Not everyone is worried about the reopened bridge. Adolfo Cabral, of Berkeley, said he is not hesitant about resuming his weekday drives to his San Francisco job.
"I feel totally comfortable driving over the bridge," said Cabral, who took BART during the closure. "I'm sure they have done the right thing. It just took them a while to figure it out."
The Federal Highway Administration released a statement Monday, saying its engineers had been consulted on the bridge repairs. "The (highway administration) provided expertise and support for Caltrans, and we are pleased to learn the bridge reopened today."
Once again Monday morning, passengers flocked to BART, but it was unclear how many of them would return to the trains now that the bridge
Reach Janis Mara at 925-952-2671 and Denis Cuff at 925-943-8267. Read the Capricious Commuter blog at www.ibabuzz.com/transportation.
