Bay Bridge closure snarls traffic

[AsahinaKimi]

(CNN) -- The indefinite closure of a major artery linking the California cities of San Francisco and Oakland snarled traffic Wednesday and left commuters frustrated.

The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was closed Tuesday night after pieces fell from the span onto the roadway. The 73-year-old bridge spans the San Francisco Bay and carries an average 280,000 vehicles daily, according to the state's Transportation Department.

"My wife actually drives over to the peninsula; she says it's taken her two hours to get to work so far and she's not there yet," commuter Seth Carp told CNN affiliate KTVU as he prepared to board a Bay Area Rapid Transit train.

"I tried to take the Golden Gate Bridge," said a woman who identified herself only as Yemi. "It was a big mistake." She gave up and wound up taking BART.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/28/california.bay.bridge.accident/index.html

[Auggie]

1. The new bridge would be finished by now had it not been for the battle of egos

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/transportation/july-dec09/bridge_09-29.html

Excerpt:

SPENCER MICHELS: San Franciscans are intoxicated with their area's beauty. With the majestic Golden Gate Bridge just a few miles away, the western span of the Bay Bridge a handsome double-deck suspension structure, local politicians pushed for a brand-new, eye-catching bridge rather than trying to repair the vulnerable eastern span. Leading the charge was Willie Brown, former legislative leader who was mayor of San Francisco at the time.

WILLIE BROWN, Former San Francisco Mayor: You certainly don't want what you have on the eastern side of the span. It's horrible to continuously look at. I don't even know how they got away with building that part of the span so unaesthetically attractive and building the west side of the span so aesthetically attractive.

SPENCER MICHELS: Steve Heminger, executive director of the Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission, says the fights were intense.

STEVE HEMINGER, Metropolitan Transportation Commission: We fought about the design of the bridge, we fought about whether the bridge should have a bicycle or pedestrian path, we fought about where the bridge should go, we fought about whether there ought to be train tracks on the new bridge.

SPENCER MICHELS: The fighting brought delays, which, as prices increased, helped raise the cost of the span by billions, partly paid for, after another fight, by increased tolls.

[proud patriot]

2. what a picture

:wow: