The emergency repair-work on the Bay Bridge broke and fell down on to the upper deck. The rubble damaged three cars and, consequently, the bridge was closed by the authorities. The officials closed the bridge from both sides when the sudden collapse occurred at 7 p.m. The closure is expected to last for an indefinite period of time. The vehicles heading towards Treasure Island were permitted to go from the San Francisco end.

The accident occurred when two steel rods collapsed. The accident led to a car accident but there was not much damage done to the vehicle or driver. But it caused the traffic to jam which further led to long queues of vehicles waiting for exit. The part of the bridge which has recently collapsed will be cautiously checked before reopening the bridge. The closure will shift the burden to public transport. Almost 280,000 automobiles use the bridge every day. The collapse of the bridge is not an unprecedented event and it has a similar history when it collapsed in 1989 due to an earth quake. The earthquake forced the redesigning of the bridge to enhance its tolerance for earthquakes. Golden Gate ferry is going to provide access as an alternative of the bridge.

The engineers are of the view that there are sufficient safeguards to halt the total collapse of the bridge and the crashing of steel rods will not lead to breaking of the whole bridge. The bay bridge is a vital path without which the commuters become detached from their offices and places of work. The “indefinite closure” has frustrated many employees who use the bridge to reach their place of employment.

Bay Bridge Closure