BART expands service during Bay Bridge closure
Caltrans closed the bridge in both directions Tuesday evening after pieces of the cantilever section fell during the late-afternoon commute, and officials were assessing the damage. It was not immediately known how long the bridge would remain closed, but Bay Area commuters have been urged to make contingency plans.
BART is keeping longer trains running throughout regularly scheduled service this evening, Chief Spokesperson Linton Johnson said. Train lengths are typically adjusted shorter late into the evening hours, after the bulk of the peak afternoon commute is over. However, all available cars are being used during the closure. BART provided extra 24-hour service over the Labor Day weekend when the Bay Bridge was closed for earthquake retrofit work, but will not run overnight service early Wednesday, October 28th.
Extra train operators are being called in for duty on Wednesday, in anticipation of a higher passenger load, Johnson said. "We will use every available extra train car we have," Johnson said.
Because there may be a more riders than usual tomorrow, you may want to plan ahead:
- New to BART? Haven't been in a while?
Check out the BART rider guide to familiarize yourself with the service, and use the BART QuickPlanner to plan your trip. - Get a ride to the station
Parking will be extremely tight at all BART stations with parking. Consider carpooling or getting dropped off at the station. Consider using Park and Ride lots on your commute route. - Bicycle
Ride your bike to BART, but be sure you understand BART's Bike Rules beforehand. You will not be able to bring a bicycle on commute trains. The East Bay Bicycle Coalition and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition have helpful information available on biking to work, maps of bike routes and safety tips.
The BART website is your best source of official, accurate information about BART service. Sign up for official BART news updates or follow a BART RSS feed or @SFBART to keep up with the latest.
