Weekend highway travel between Sacramento and San Francisco will likely be more congested, especially at the Bay Bridge, because the Transbay Tube will be closed for fix and maintenance.
Advertisement
“Having BART shut down on Saturday, Sunday, that’s going to be a big problem”, said Chase Sinai of San Ramon.
BART will halt service from its West Oakland Station to the Embarcadero station in San Francisco and vice versa all day this Saturday and Sunday for critical track maintenance, repairs, and upgrades.
While transportation will be limited with the scheduled BART closures, other public transit routes are planning on accommodating their schedules to the BART closures.
CHP officials also suggest that if a trip across the bay is non-essential that commuters reschedule their plans to another weekend.
By the end of today, the tube will be closed.
People of the Bay Area need to make sure to prepare alternative arrangements this weekend for travel.
Nozzari said roughly 15,000 to 20,000 additional vehicles are expected to take to the bridge each day of the closure.
A bus from the 19th Street Station in Oakland will take riders to a Temporary Transbay Terminal in San Francisco.
Even so, BART officials warn that delays could add an hour or more to journeys, reports SF Gate.
The bay ferry services also are ramping up for extra demand, and SamTrans in San Mateo County is involved in the preparations.
“Just take BART and we will direct you”, Franklin said. However, BART officials estimate taking the bus bridge will be one to two hours longer than the regular BART commute and that the bus bridge is intended only as a last resort for those with no other options.
The West Oakland BART station also will be shut down during the weekend. The exact cost is to be determined, according to Franklin. BART has been trying to alert riders of the major closure.
BART crews will be replacing an interlocking crossover on the Oakland side of the tunnel, which allows trains to switch over to a parallel track if there is a delay inside the tube. An estimated 2,400 feet of rail, or about a half mile will need to be replaced.
Advertisement
In a passenger bulletin from BART, customers were informed that the vital repairs are part of the “Building a Better BART” program and will ensure safer and more reliable service.
