It has been an interesting week for any Bay Area commuter. The largest construction project in California history is a bit of a boondoggle as repairs made over labor day came undone, closing the Bay Bridge. CalTrains dodged a bullet that nobody was harmed, otherwise lawsuits would certainly follow.

Even before this disaster Spot.Us, The Public Press and McSweeney’s had set out to investigate the Bay Bridge.

More people are becoming aware of our reporting efforts because of this week’s breaking news. What’s important to keep in mind is that our reporting project is an investigation. It is not breaking news. The Public Press reporters have been working sources, putting in FOIA requests and looking over documents for many weeks now. Spot.Us doesn’t really play in the breaking news space. But as this investigation has current breaking news we wanted to do a link-round-up of some of the best news out there in relation to the Bay Bridge muckery.

If you want to support our ongoing investigation consider donating just one bridge toll ($4 – soon to be more in the future) to our reporting project.

Links about the bridge

Wind blamed in Bay Bridge break; ‘new design’ employed for fix
San Jose Mercury News
Restoring use of the Bay Bridge depends on crews eliminating the friction that caused parts of a steel brace to fall from a faulty Labor Day repair, Caltrans officials said.

DAY ONE: The Bay Area without the Bay Bridge CALIFORNIA BEAT
californiabeat.wordpress.com
The Bay Area limped along without the Bay Bridge.

From California Beat

Bay Area braces for evening rush after bridge closure
oaklandnorth.net
The crowding spilled onto the Alameda/Oakland ferries, which were supposed to start operating this morning on an accelerated schedule, Oakland to San Francisco every 30 minutes. “The commute was definitely more crowded,” said Janice Peterson, an early morning ferry commuter.

How the bridge news flowed
wordyard.com
I have a very personal relationship with the ups and downs of the Bay Bridge replacement project. This is not only because I’m a Berkeley resident who often depends on the structure. And it’s not only because I’m lucky enough to have a view of the bridge (distant but majestic) from my back window.

Ariel photo of Bay Bridge with No Cars
twitpic.com
A photo of the bridge taken from an aircraft. No cars are on the road.

http://twitter.com/alexmensch

Bay Area media meltdown over Bridge closure; KTVU, KCBS ok; everyone else, yuck
richliebermanreport.blogspot.com
A rundown of coverage about yesterday’s Bay Bridge closure.

Boxthor: So I know the LAST time we rushed a fixjob on the Bay Bridge it fell off in 2 months, so this ti…what? Get it working in 2 days? I uh, ok!
From Twitter

Bay Bridge Closure – CLOSE UP OF Cable Breakage

After 3 hours of commuting over the upper deck. Raw footage.

Bay Bridge failure stirs fear, anger over new span
The terrifying scene on Tuesday left only one motorist with minor injuries, but stirred anger over the constant delays and soaring costs of the still-unfinished new eastern span of the Bay Bridge, which has become the largest public works project in California history.

Mighty B’s Bay Bridge Crossing!

The Bay Bridge is CLOSED! But, residents of Treasure Island have access to the SF side. A rare glimpse of the Bay Bridge with NOBODY on it as I drive accross! You can see the car that was hit by a cable!

Civil Engineering Professor Says Caltrans Should Replace, Not Repair Bay Bridge Section that Failed
KRON-TV 4
A U.C. Berkeley civil engineering professor is urging Caltrans to replace, not just repair, a section of the Bay Bridge that collapsed on drivers.

Bay Bridge: What Happened?
We asked experts to explain what happened yesterday and what investigators are looking for today. Reinhard Ludke, a principal at Creegan + D’Angelo Engineers in San Francisco, Abolhassan Astaneh-Asl, a professor of civil engineering at University of California, Berkeley who has studied the Bay Bridge and William Ibbs, a professor of civil engineering at University of California, Berkeley, agreed to help us.

Is the Bay Bridge open?
isthebaybridgeopen.com
A single use website to answer a very prevalent question: “Is the Bay Bridge Open” – built by Michael Sippey who later contributed to the ongoing investigation at Spot.Us.

Bay Bridge closure forces Rockets to take ferry to opener
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is temporarily closed down for emergency repairs after a cable on the bridge’s upper deck snapped Tuesday, leaving the Rockets with two options to get to Oracle Arena: an early bus ride on a longer, alternate route or a quick and scenic ferry trip with the public.

Still no estimate for Bay Bridge reopening
Spokesperson Bart Ney said that the bridge would continue to be closed through today’s evening commute, and most likely through tomorrow’s morning commute as well.

The Bart is Crowded
twitpic.com
A picture of the over-crowded Bart due to the bridge being down.

From: http://twitter.com/californiabeat

When the bridge is out, what about the ferry?
berkeleyside.com
With no Bay Bridge, wouldn’t it be nice to have a ferry from Berkeley into the city? That’s always been my thought, but I’m being persuaded otherwise by David Fielder, a friend who is one of the most visible opponents of the planned Berkeley Marina ferry service.

helenliu: still can’t believe I had a puncture in my tires AND got stuck in the bay bridge mess all in one night. hope todays commute is better!
Twitter

Bay Bridge repair fails: Survivor ‘I am still shaking. I am scared’
examiner.com
The falling pieces hit three cars, but amazingly no one was seriously hurt. Caltrans says that it is far too soon to determine what happened, but recent high winds are certainly suspected.

Scene from a Sapped-Cable Bay Bridge Accident Victim
SFist
Schlomo snapped and posted this image of the car injured in yesterday’s Bay Bridge snafu.

Live Show with SF Appeal and SFist talking about the Bridge
sfappeal.com
Our friends at SF Appeal and SFist talk about the Bay Bridge craziness. Both sites have been doing great keeping up with the breaking news. The conversation tapped by the good folks at VidSF.

Bridge to Nowhere — Visions for Reusing the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge.
nickburnsonline.com
As most people are focusing on the construction of the new Bay Bridge—slated to be finished by 2013—others are thinking of ways to reuse parts of the old one.

Bay Bridge closed after repair falls apart
Three pieces of an emergency repair to the Bay Bridge’s cantilever section made over Labor Day weekend snapped and crashed onto the upper deck of the span late Tuesday afternoon, striking three vehicles and forcing the indefinite closure of the region’s busiest bridge.

katikim: Major rush hour congestion due to Bay Bridge closure. Muni riders may wanna kick it in the city for awhile. #BayArea
Twitter

Bay Bridge failure stirs fear, anger over new span
San Diego Union Tribune
The terrifying scene on Tuesday left only one motorist with minor injuries, but stirred anger over the constant delays and soaring costs of the still-unfinished new eastern span of the Bay Bridge, which has become the largest public works project in California history.

A history of the SF-Oakland bridge on Dippity.

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