SF bridge reopens after seismic work done

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A major bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland reopened Tuesday after critical seismic retrofitting work was done in time to accommodate a crush of morning commuters.

Motorists rejoiced when traffic began moving across the double-deck bridge at 6:30 a.m., a day earlier than expected. Many had spent time during the long Labor Day weekend seeking alternative routes.

The 73-year-old bridge carries about 260,000 vehicles a day between San Francisco and heavily populated cities to its east.

The eastern span of the bridge partially collapsed during the Loma Prieta earthquake in October 1989. One person was killed during the temblor when their car plunged through a gap along the upper deck and crashed onto the lower roadway.

The seismic repairs came as the federal government is spending more than $1 billion in stimulus money to fix bridges across the country.

The Bay Bridge was closed beginning Thursday so a football-field-sized, 3,300-ton section of its eastern span could be replaced with a new double-deck section linking the bridge to a short detour to be used until a new span is completed by 2013.

Crews used the closure to inspect the bridge and found a crack in a 2-inch-thick steel link halfway across the span.

"The bridge has been inspected and it's safer than it was when we closed it," Caltrans director Randy Iwasaki said.

California Highway Patrol Officer Kevin Kroncke staffed a traffic management center in Oakland during the evening commute.

"There were no big traffic issues. It went very well," he said.

Public transit lines were busier than usual despite the reopening.

Bay Area Rapid Transit spokesman Linton Johnson said the commuter rail line had an additional 15,000 rush-hour passengers than a week ago. The system averages about 340,000 commuters a day.

Transportation officials initially pushed the bridge's reopening to 5 a.m. Wednesday after crews discovered the crack Saturday.

Iwasaki said crews spent more than 70 hours nonstop to finish repairs on a damaged eyebar beam.

Other bridges and public transportation systems were able to accommodate extra riders Friday, the first time the bridge was closed on a workday since the 1989 quake.

Despite the reopening, Tuesday's morning rush-hour traffic was heavier on several other roadways, including the Golden Gate Bridge, said Sgt. Trent Cross, spokesman for the CHP's Golden Gate division.

"I think most motorists weren't aware or didn't know that the bridge was open," he said.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)