Bay Bridge Maze Connectors Destroyed, Gov. Declares Emergency

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS/AP) -- A tanker truck carrying 8,600 gallons of gasoline overturned, caught on fire and then exploded early Sunday, causing the eastbound I-80 connector to eastbound I-580 to collapse onto the westbound I-80 connector to southbound I-880.

Flames shot 200 feet in the air and the heat was intense enough to melt part of the freeway and cause the collapse, but only the driver of the truck was hurt. He was able to climb out of the passenger side of the cab and hail a taxi to Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, where he was treated for second-degree burns to his hands, arms and face, according to the CHP. No other injuries were reported.

An emergency declaration handed down by the governor will provide public transit free of charge Monday.

In a written statement released Sunday evening, the Governor said the order will allow crews to immediately begin repairing the area where a gasoline tanker crashed and burst into flames on the MacArthur maze.

"This declaration will streamline public contracting and environmental codes and provide emergency funding to allow repair operations to begin immediately," said Gov. Schwarzenegger. "This emergency declaration also authorizes funding to provide free transit services in the Bay Area for Monday, April 30th."

In response, most transit operators will be functioning in spare-the-air fashion, meaning complimentary rides for local commuters throughout the day. So far, BART, AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit Service, and MUNI have confirmed to KCBS that they will comply with the mandate. In addition, Oakland International Airport will be providing free AirBart shuttle service between the airport and Coliseum Bart station, according to Oakland airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes.

The governor also says he has ordered all state government agencies to make every resource available to minimize the inconvenience passed on to drivers.

"Undoubtedly, today's incident will cause severe difficulties for Bay Area commuters. The state will take every action possible to minimize the impact on commuters and repair the overpass as quickly as possible," Gov. Schwarzenegger said.

Authorities said the damage could take months to repair, and that it would cause the worst disruption for Bay Area commuters since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged a section of the Bay Bridge itself. Nearly 75,000 vehicles use the portion of the road every day, but because the accident occurred where three highways converge, authorities said it could cause commuting problems for hundreds of thousands of people.

Speed was a factor in the accident, the CHP said. The tanker ignited around 3:45 a.m. after crashing into a pylon on the interchange on the edge of downtown Oakland about half a mile from the Bay Bridge's toll plaza. The fire was extinguished by the Oakland Fire Department at 5:50 a.m.

The connector from westbound Interstate Highway 80 to eastbound Interstate Highway 580 is open, but eastbound Interstate Highway 80 to eastbound Interstate Highway 580 is closed indefinitely.