3 months ago
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Repairs and inspections of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge have been completed and the bridge reopened to traffic Monday morning.
The first cars drove across the span before 9 a.m.
The bridge passed a series of vibration and stress tests "with flying colors, California Department of Transportation spokesman Bart Ney said. "We're ready to reopen."
The bridge had been closed for nearly six days for emergency repairs. Two rods and a crossbar failed last Tuesday and sent 5,000 pounds of metal into rush-hour traffic. Bay Bridge Eyebar Repair Factsheet
Caltrans will monitor the span for the next three weeks.
In an afternoon news conference, officials said it was very likely the bridge will be closed again in the coming months. They wouldn't say exactly when or how long of a closure would take place, but said they would do whatever was necessary to insure the safety of the bridge.
The preliminary cost estimate of the repairs is $1.5 - $1.6 million.
It was the longest closure since the bridge was shut down for a month after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
News10/KXTV/The Associated Press
