i-80 San Francisco Interstate 80 San Francisco News Blog

i-80 San Francisco News Blog - March 08 ...

> SF Bay Bridge approach almost ready to open ... March 27/08
The squiggly lanes on the San Francisco approach to the Bay Bridge will straighten out next month when Caltrans shifts traffic onto a new structure, officials said Wednesday. By mid-April, commuters headed to the East Bay from San Francisco won't have to negotiate an S-turn, said Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney. The reconstruction of the San Francisco approach to the bridge has required a series of lane shifts, regular lane and ramp closures and one partial bridge closure. Crews are pouring concrete for the permanent eastbound approach, Ney said... cont...

> Huge pileup closes Golden Gate Bridge ... March 26/08
All lanes of the Golden Gate Bridge were open for traffic this afternoon after a multi-car collision blocked the span earlier today, according to the California Highway Patrol. Traffic on the world-famous bridge came to a halt around 2:40 p.m. when a northbound station wagon veered into the southbound lanes and caused a series of crashes involving about 10 cars, the CHP said. Drivers on roads leading to the bridge were experiencing severe delays, authorities said. Commuters were advised to use either the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge or the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as an alternate route... cont...

> What if city is cut off in the next big quake? ... March 24/08
What happens when San Francisco is isolated by the collapse of the old span of the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate approaches, a few bridges on Highways 101 and 280 and the SFO runways? In Hurricane Katrina, most New Orleans residents evacuated before the storm. Here, no one will be able to evacuate before or after a quake. There will likely be no water, gas or sewage, and our hospitals are inadequate to handle large numbers of injuries. What plans are in place to evacuate the injured, fight fires and otherwise assist a million people who will be trapped on the north end of the San Francisco Peninsula? It could happen tomorrow. Is anyone really ready?... cont...

> Five vehicle collision slows westbound lane on Bay Bridge ... March 18/08
Commuters on the Bay Bridge are crawling along after a multi-vehicle crash this morning left San Francisco-bound traffic without the use of a lane for nearly an hour, the California Highway Patrol said. Average speeds on the bridge are barely breaking into the double digits after a five vehicles collided east of Fremont Street around 5:50 a.m., the CHP said. The far right lane was immediately blocked and emergency vehicles trying to get to the scene have caused congestion in the remaining four lanes.... cont...

> Criminal Charges Filed Against Pilot In SF Bay Oil Spill ... March 17/08
The pilot of a ship that crashed and spilled oil into the San Francisco Bay last November has been charged with criminal negligence and violating environmental laws. The Cosco Busan ran into a bumper of the Bay Bridge on Nov. 7, 2007, spilling 58,000 gallons of oil into the bay. John Joseph Cota was piloting the 65,131-ton container ship. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Joseph P. Russoniello announced the charges Monday... cont...

> Multi-vehicle accident on Bay Bridge closes 2 westbound lanes ... March 11/08
Traffic on the upper desk of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is heavier than usual this afternoon because of a multi-vehicle accident that led to the closure of all but one westbound lane. Just before 5 p.m., the California Highway Patrol reopened the two right lanes, bringing the total number of lanes now open to three. The two left lanes remained closed, with no estimate of what time they will reopen, a CHP spokesman said. The accident on westbound Highway 80 occurred just east of Treasure Island at approximately 4:15 p.m. and involved multiple vehicles, including an AC Transit bus.... cont...

> Bay Bridge upper deck, approaches recovering slowly from accident ... March 8/08
Traffic is beginning to clear on the upper deck of the Bay Bridge but remains sluggish more than two hours after an accident near the Fremont Street off-ramp that involved a motorcycle and a pickup truck. Three lanes on Interstate 80 westbound were blocked for nearly an hour because of the accident, which happened around 7:30 a.m. The California Highway Patrol reopened the lanes about 8:20 a.m., but traffic backed up well through the MacArthur Maze and remains heavy.... cont...

> Morning Crash Slows Bay Bridge Traffic ... March 7/08
Three lanes of westbound Interstate Highway 80 on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge blocked by an injury crash Friday morning have been cleared, but heavy backups across the bridge are expected to last until into the morning commute, according to the California Highway Patrol. The Nos. 1, 2, and 3 lanes on the westbound side of the highway before Fremont Street in San Francisco opened at about 8:20 a.m., CHP Officer Tom Stewart said. Traffic in the crash area started moving immediately, he said, but the stall mixed with regular morning commute traffic and slowed drivers past the MacArthur Maze. The crash between a truck and a motorcycle was reported at about 7:35 a.m.... cont...

> Man killed on bridge remembered as hero ... March 5/08
A Danville man who was killed on the Bay Bridge last week while trying to aid a stalled car is being hailed as a hero by one of the motorists he was helping.
Anthony Shafer, 36, died the night of Feb. 27 after he was struck by a car on westbound Interstate 80 east of Treasure Island, according to the California Highway Patrol. A Chevrolet Impala had sustained a flat tire and was stopped in the second-to-leftmost lane. Shafer, who was following in a Honda Civic, stopped behind and got out to use a nearby callbox to get help. While walking across the fast lane to get back to his car, he was hit by a Buick sedan that had swerved around the stopped cars..... cont...

> Video: Bridge Toll Cheats Face Revoked Licenses ... March 5/08
Motorists who run through Bay Area toll booths without paying may soon have their cars booted or impounded and even lose their licenses, following an action Wednesday by the region's most powerful transportation commission. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Bay Area Toll Authority -- which runs the toll taking at Bay Area bridges -- voted Wednesday to impose harsh penalties on scofflaws who have been increasingly running through unmanned FasTrak toll booths, especially at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. What's more, the commission also approved plans to flash signs in the toll plaza alerting drivers someone has failed to pay the $4.00 toll. In the report, KTVU found that toll booth cameras on the seven Bay Area bridges have recorded about 300,000 driver violations every month, with some 3,000 chronic cheaters. One driver was shown to have cheated tolls a total of 637 times.... cont...

> Lanes cleared, but bridge traffic slowed by multi-car crash ... March 4/08
All lanes have been cleared, an hour after a big-rig accident sparked multi-vehicle collision on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge just west of the toll plaza, according to the CHP. Traffic is still backed up to the MacArthur Maze, officials said. The accident occurred at about 3:20 p.m. and involved a big-rig and at least two other vehicles, a CHP dispatcher said. The Nos. 3,4 and 5 lanes were initially closed and a Sig-alert was issued at 3:31 p.m..... cont...