Eyebar Replacement Complete

Update:

Tuesday, December 29, 2009 ... Construction crews have completed both the replacement of the damaged portion of the eyebar on the East Span of the Bay Bridge, and the removal of the temporary fix installed in October. The temporary overnight closure of three lanes on the span’s upper deck that was in effect during the recent repair work is no longer in place. An overnight two-lane closure on the upper deck will continue as needed to facilitate inspections, but is not expected to have any impact on traffic. For daily lane closure hours and updates, visit the Bay Bridge Closures and Detours page.

Eyebar Repair Nears Completion

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 …Caltrans is saying that crews have completed the major work involved in replacing the damaged portion of an eyebar beam on the East Span of the Bay Bridge. As of Tuesday, the only remaining work involved removing the temporary supports installed this fall, when the fracture in the eyebar was discovered (see earlier story). Crews will take a break for the Christmas holiday, according to Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney, with any remaining work resuming on Saturday evening, December 26. Go to 511.org for lane closure updates.

Caltrans Begins Long-Term Repairs to Eyebar

Oakland, Calif., December 7, 2009 ... On Friday, December 11, Caltrans will begin its long-term repair of the failed eyebar on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge that was discovered during the Labor Day wekend bridge closure, the agency announced at a press conference today.

Work on the eyebar will not require a full bridge closure; instead, crews will work overnight, which will require three lanes to close on the upper deck and one lane on the lower deck. The repair and related lane closures will last approximately three weeks, with an additional second phase lasting up to five weeks possibly needed at a later date. At a press conference today, Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney said that progress will be dependent on the weather.

"We would like to thank motorists in advance for their patience during the upcoming lane closures," said Caltrans Director Randell Iwasaki. "This is the right fix and a long-term one that should keep the 73-year old bridge safer until it is replaced."

The affected lanes will be the three left-most lanes on the upper deck (westbound) and the far-right lane on the bottom deck (eastbound). Work will occur mostly overnight; the schedule will ensure that all lanes will be open during peak traffic hours. (For specific lane closure hours, go to baybridgeinfo.org/closures-detours.)

Nonetheless, Ney said motorists should be prepared for delays of 30 to 60 minutes during the first couple hours of each evening's nighttime lane closures.

During the repairs, all transbay bus service will run as scheduled, and no on- or off-ramps will be impacted. BART will not provide overnight service during the lane closures. Drivers are strongly encouraged to call 511 or visit 511.org for traffic updates and transit planning, and are also encouraged to use other bridges during the overnight lane closures. Updates also will be posted at baybridgeinfo.org.

The design of the long-term repair was done by Caltrans, with input and assistance from independent experts and the contractor, American Bridge-Fluor (A Joint Venture), which is the primary contractor building the self-anchored suspension span on the new Bay Bridge and has a significant amount of experience in steel bridge erection and repair, including the repair of eyebars.

The repair will entail cutting and removing approximately 12 feet of the cracked eyebar, and replacing the removed section with new structural steel that will be spliced onto the remainder of the existing eyebar. This may be supplemented with additional structural steel at a later date.

Expert input is being provided by Frieder Seible, dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California at San Diego, member of the Toll Bridge Program's Seismic Safety Peer Review Panel and former adjunct professor of Engineering at Columbia University; Ahmad Itani, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nevada at Reno; and Federal Highway Administration Chief Bridge Engineer Myint Lwin.