Wednesday, October 28, 2009

The iconic San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is closed indefinitely after a steel rod snapped Tuesday evening, hitting three vehicles, officials said.

Caltrans — the agency that manages the bridge would not give a time for when the Bay Bridge would reopen after repairs are completed. The key transportion span opened on November 12, 1936 and is used by nearly 280,000 commuters daily. It is one of the longest spans in the world.

The cable broke on the westbound upper deck of the Bay Bridge during the Tuesday evening commute, hitting vehicles and snarling rush-hour traffic. High winds may have been a factor.

“If you look at the totality of the circumstances — you’ve got the 5:30 commute, you have a 5,000-pound piece of steel falling out of the sky. We are so fortunate that no one was injured or killed,” California Highway Patrol Sgt. Trent Cross

The incident occurred on a part of the bridge that underwent emergency repairs over Labor Day weekend intended to repair a crack in the 73 year old structure.