BART Track Project Ahead of Schedule; Delays, Closures Continue Along Highway 24
ORINDA (CBS SF) -- Weekend work on BART's track rebuilding project in the East Bay continues Saturday and Sunday, affecting service between Orinda and Walnut Creek.
The two left lanes of eastbound Highway 24 are still closed at Oak Hill Road during the track work, according to BART.
The construction wreaked havoc on traffic along Highway 24, and delayed weekend plans for BART riders as trains were forced to single track between Walnut Creek and Orinda.
BART is halfway done with the project, which is good news because that means they are ahead of schedule. Still, the weekend construction is still causing headaches for those trying to get in and out of Lafayette.
On Saturday afternoon, cars were moving at a crawl on Highway 24, with 2 eastbound lanes closed to allow construction equipment to access the Lafayette BART station.
Lafayette resident Whitney and her family of five have felt the effects of the construction. She says highway traffic is slow, but so is traffic on city streets.
"It does impact the streets that get clogged up, delaying a lot of things for the weekend," she said.
While some folks have gripes about the delays, businesses like Farmyard Darlings are trying to take advantage of new visitors coming through town.
"I like it when the traffic comes near us and we get business from it," said owner Kim Berry.
BART is replacing 5,000 feet of 50-year-old tracks, and crews have already put down 2,500 feet of new rail. Riders this weekend said they were still facing delays but it's a huge improvement compared to the previous shutdown, since BART is single tracking to allow riders to use the Lafayette station.
"It's massively inconvenient but I would much rather have them single track instead of bus bridge," said BART rider Joan Gardner.
She said she has faced delays of 30 minutes but feels it's a small price to pay to ensure BART can be on track to run for years to come.
"They've got to fix it," Gardner added. "It's important to have the tracks working.'
Since BART is ahead of schedule, they have canceled closures for next Saturday, Sept. 21 during the Lafayette Art and Wine Festival, and the weekend of Fleet Week, October 12-13. There are still two full weekends coming up when the Lafayette BART station will be shut down.
Remaining track shutdown weekends are Sept. 28-29 and Oct. 26-27.
On those two remaining weekends, free buses will replace trains between the Orinda and Walnut Creek stations. Riders should expect delays of 40 minutes or more. Also, the two left lanes of eastbound Highway 24 at Oak Hill Road are expected to be closed through those weekends to allow space for construction equipment.
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