Bay Bridge reopened for traffic ahead of schedule

The Bay Bridge that was closed for some construction and maintenance work has been reopened for traffic now. The bridge was opened before the announced time as the weather was pleasant and dry and the work was completed ahead of the schedule. It was planned to be closed till Tuesday 5a.m. but got ready by 8 p.m. on Sunday and was opened for traffic.

"We had some great sun. It was nothing we could have forecasted, but it allowed us to finish the work quickly. In the long run this will save us a lot of money." Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney told about the work progress. The drivers on the bridge are advised to take care of the changes in the road which are not going to cause any major problem in driving as they do not include any significant change in the route. "It'll look a little different. People should go slow and take it easy," Ney said.

The construction staff says that the work went very smoothly as the people were very cooperative and took care of the instructions given to them. They were told in advance not to use the part of Bay Bridge that was being closed and therefore closing and reopening was done conveniently. Further construction work will be done after a gap and the bridge can be used by traffic for the time being.

The drivers were provided with guidance from the California Highway Patrol officers in travelling through the bridge so that any accident is avoided. The changes in the road pattern might cause a little confusion but careful driving can lead to safe journey through the newly opened passage. "Don't drive past any CHP vehicles unless told to do so, don't enter into any coned off areas," CHP spokesman Officer Sam Morgan advised the drivers to take care while crossing the bridge.

While the Bay Bridge remained closed, traffic was directed through the alternate routes over the weekend and the drivers might have experienced more traffic on the roads during those hours. However it has been brought back to normal and people have come to their original routes after the weekend. Golden Gate Bridge was used as the alternate route by the travelers where the traffic was much higher than normal.

The project will be completed by the next year when the construction of new bridge is done. "The next time we plan to close the Bay Bridge will be to open the new Bay Bridge, Labor Day weekend 2013," Ney told further about the construction process.