OAKLAND -
At 8 o'clock Thursday, traffic on the busy Bay Bridge came to a halt.
With the help of CHP, CalTrans closed the bridge within 21 minutes - all in preparation for replacing a section on the Oakland side.
"Slowing down traffic so that CalTrans can put barriers in the way and start directing people to those alternatives that are going to be in place," CalTrans spokesman Bart Ney said.
While bridge workers replace that portion of the bridge, other CalTrans employees will take advantage of the closure to concentrate on other sections.
"We're gonna be patching pot holes, we're gonna be replacing striping and pavement markers. We're gonna be pruning trees, replacing navigation lights...," added fellow CalTrans worker, Lauren Wonder,
Work on the Bay Bridge held a deeper meaning for CJ Faria, whose grandfather worked on the original construction of the bridge.
"He was a riveter. Used to put the rivets and one guy would hammer and the next guy would be on the other side...,"Faria said. "It's pretty awesome, yeah. If my grandfather was alive, I'd like to tell him."
The old section is scheduled to be moved out of place by Friday afternoon. The new section is expected to be put in place on Saturday. The bridge will reopen on Tuesday.
With the help of CHP, CalTrans closed the bridge within 21 minutes - all in preparation for replacing a section on the Oakland side.
"Slowing down traffic so that CalTrans can put barriers in the way and start directing people to those alternatives that are going to be in place," CalTrans spokesman Bart Ney said.
While bridge workers replace that portion of the bridge, other CalTrans employees will take advantage of the closure to concentrate on other sections.
"We're gonna be patching pot holes, we're gonna be replacing striping and pavement markers. We're gonna be pruning trees, replacing navigation lights...," added fellow CalTrans worker, Lauren Wonder,
Work on the Bay Bridge held a deeper meaning for CJ Faria, whose grandfather worked on the original construction of the bridge.
"He was a riveter. Used to put the rivets and one guy would hammer and the next guy would be on the other side...,"Faria said. "It's pretty awesome, yeah. If my grandfather was alive, I'd like to tell him."
The old section is scheduled to be moved out of place by Friday afternoon. The new section is expected to be put in place on Saturday. The bridge will reopen on Tuesday.
