The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge has been closed indefinitely after a rod installed during last month's emergency repairs snapped, causing a traffic nightmare for the 280,000 motorists who cross the landmark span every day.Engineers on Wednesday will evaluate the damage caused when the rod and metal brace fell into the 73-year-old bridge's westbound lanes during Tuesday evening's rush hour.At least two vehicles — a car and a small truck — either were struck by or ran into the fallen rod, said California Highway Patrol Officer Peter Van Eckhardt. No injuries were reported.The California Department of Transportation said Tuesday that it will remain closed indefinitely.The rod that fell Tuesday was erected last month during an emergency repair job. It was holding in place a saddle-like cap that had been installed over a cracked link discovered over the Labor Day weekend.When the rod apparently snapped at about 5:30 p.m., it brought down with it a steel patch roughly 3 feet long.The bridge was closed last month over the holiday weekend for long-planned earthquake safety upgrades. When the crack was discovered, state transportation officials initially feared it would prevent them from reopening the span in time for the start of the work week. But the unexpected work only ended up taking a few extra hours.Abolhassan Astaneh-Asl, a civil engineering professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who has spent 20 years studying the Bay Bridge, called the initial crack a "warning sign" of potentially bigger safety issues with the bridge.
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge has been closed indefinitely after a rod installed during last month's emergency repairs snapped, causing a traffic nightmare for the 280,000 motorists who cross the landmark span every day.Engineers on Wednesday will evaluate the damage caused when the rod and metal brace fell into the 73-year-old bridge's westbound lanes during Tuesday evening's rush hour.At least two vehicles — a car and a small truck — either were struck by or ran into the fallen rod, said California Highway Patrol Officer Peter Van Eckhardt. No injuries were reported.The California Department of Transportation said Tuesday that it will remain closed indefinitely.The rod that fell Tuesday was erected last month during an emergency repair job. It was holding in place a saddle-like cap that had been installed over a cracked link discovered over the Labor Day weekend.When the rod apparently snapped at about 5:30 p.m., it brought down with it a steel patch roughly 3 feet long.The bridge was closed last month over the holiday weekend for long-planned earthquake safety upgrades. When the crack was discovered, state transportation officials initially feared it would prevent them from reopening the span in time for the start of the work week. But the unexpected work only ended up taking a few extra hours.Abolhassan Astaneh-Asl, a civil engineering professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who has spent 20 years studying the Bay Bridge, called the initial crack a "warning sign" of potentially bigger safety issues with the bridge.
