OAKLAND, Calif. (KCBS) -- Nearly a week of frustration ended for commuters when the Bay Bridge reopened Monday following emergency repairs.
KCBS' Bob Melrose with reactions to the reopening
The state officials say the Bay Bridge is safe after being shut down from Tuesday evening to Monday afternoon to repair an earlier fix for a cracked eyebar. The original fix failed and resulted in about 5,000 lbs. of steel crashing down onto the upper deck of the span.
KCBS' Chris Filippi reports on the need for another repair
State Secretary of Business, Transportation, and Housing Dale Bonner said the original fix did not reflect a flaw in the design, but rather the difference between what happens in a controlled environment and under real conditions.
Caltrans chief engineer Rick Land calls the new fix a short term solution.
"We will move forward on looking at a long-term strategy that we believe is more robust and better performing as far as maintenance and monitoring," Land said.
Land says Caltrans is considering many ideas for a long-term repair. He says will making that repair will require another shut down of the bridge in as soon as four months. Daily inspections of the new repair will happen for at least the next two weeks.
(ewi)
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