MAYOR NEWSOM ENCOURAGES PUBLIC TO USE TRANSIT ALTERNATIVES DURING BAY BRIDGE CLOSURE
California Desk
September 03, 2009
San Francisco, CA—This Labor Day weekend, the Bay Bridge will be closed. Construction crews will replace a section of the Bay Bridge east of the Yerba Buena Island Tunnel, to connect the bridge to a temporary detour.
Caltrans has been working closely with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to increase public awareness of the closure. Outreach includes distributing Muni customer information cards, using subway and NexMuni message signs, canvassing with fact sheets and flyers, advertising on radio and television, posting electronic signage throughout the City, placing an information booth at Embarcadero beginning Thursday through the weekend, and blasting email notices to over 25,000 addresses and Web sites.
"Unfortunately, there is no good time to lose a bridge carrying some 280,000 vehicles a day," said Mayor Newsom. "However, replacing the entire eastern span to make it seismically safe is an essential and unprecedented construction feat. By encouraging people to taking transit, stay home or, if they must drive, build in extra time for expected traffic delays, the City is working with Caltrans to keep the public inconvenience to a minimum."
The Bridge has been previously closed over Labor Day weekends in 2006 and 2007 with successful results, based on interagency cooperation, outreach efforts, and transportation management plans in which avoidance and alternative modes of access were encouraged.
The Labor Day weekend closure of the bay bridge will begin at 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 3. The bridge will reopen by 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8. This four day closure is longer than any of the previous closures to account for the complexity of the work involved.
During the closure, the public is encouraged to take public transit and alternate driving routes.
Motorists can use alternate bridges: Golden Gate Bridge, Richmond-San
Rafael Bridge, San Mateo-Hayward Bridge and the Dumbarton Bridge
BART will operate special hourly overnight service to 14 stations
Friday through Monday and add extra trains. On Friday through
Monday, BART will operate after midnight at 14 stations, four of
which are in San Francisco: Embarcadero, Powell, 24th Street and SFO.
Muni Owl service operates from approximately 1 until 5 a.m., each
morning at 30-minute intervals on most lines.
AC Transit will pick up and drop off its passengers heading to and
from San Francisco at four BART stations: Coliseum/Oakland Airport,
MacArthur, North Berkeley and West Oakland, from Friday through
Monday.
The Golden Gate, Vallejo Baylink and Alameda/Oakland ferries will run
extra service on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The Alameda Harbor Bay
ferry will add extra trips on Friday.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and San Francisco Police Department enforcement personnel will be deployed in the South of Market area to assist in detouring around the ramp closures.
The latest information on transportation alternatives are at http://www.511.org.
Details of the closure and construction can be found at: http://www.baybridgeinfo.org.
Caltrans has been working closely with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to increase public awareness of the closure. Outreach includes distributing Muni customer information cards, using subway and NexMuni message signs, canvassing with fact sheets and flyers, advertising on radio and television, posting electronic signage throughout the City, placing an information booth at Embarcadero beginning Thursday through the weekend, and blasting email notices to over 25,000 addresses and Web sites.
"Unfortunately, there is no good time to lose a bridge carrying some 280,000 vehicles a day," said Mayor Newsom. "However, replacing the entire eastern span to make it seismically safe is an essential and unprecedented construction feat. By encouraging people to taking transit, stay home or, if they must drive, build in extra time for expected traffic delays, the City is working with Caltrans to keep the public inconvenience to a minimum."
The Bridge has been previously closed over Labor Day weekends in 2006 and 2007 with successful results, based on interagency cooperation, outreach efforts, and transportation management plans in which avoidance and alternative modes of access were encouraged.
The Labor Day weekend closure of the bay bridge will begin at 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 3. The bridge will reopen by 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8. This four day closure is longer than any of the previous closures to account for the complexity of the work involved.
During the closure, the public is encouraged to take public transit and alternate driving routes.
Motorists can use alternate bridges: Golden Gate Bridge, Richmond-San
Rafael Bridge, San Mateo-Hayward Bridge and the Dumbarton Bridge
BART will operate special hourly overnight service to 14 stations
Friday through Monday and add extra trains. On Friday through
Monday, BART will operate after midnight at 14 stations, four of
which are in San Francisco: Embarcadero, Powell, 24th Street and SFO.
Muni Owl service operates from approximately 1 until 5 a.m., each
morning at 30-minute intervals on most lines.
AC Transit will pick up and drop off its passengers heading to and
from San Francisco at four BART stations: Coliseum/Oakland Airport,
MacArthur, North Berkeley and West Oakland, from Friday through
Monday.
The Golden Gate, Vallejo Baylink and Alameda/Oakland ferries will run
extra service on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The Alameda Harbor Bay
ferry will add extra trips on Friday.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and San Francisco Police Department enforcement personnel will be deployed in the South of Market area to assist in detouring around the ramp closures.
The latest information on transportation alternatives are at http://www.511.org.
Details of the closure and construction can be found at: http://www.baybridgeinfo.org.
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