Temporary Friday Night Closure For Caldecott Tunnel's Fourth Bore Due To Emergency Drill
OAKLAND (KCBS) -- The fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnels will be closed Friday night and part of Saturday morning for its first-ever emergency response drill, a Caltrans spokesman said.
The closure will begin at 10 p.m. Friday and continue through 4 a.m. Saturday.
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"It's a drill that tests the technology but it's also a drill that tests our response as far as emergency responders and Caltrans involved as well—so personnel involved as well," Caltrans spokesman Vince Jacala told KCBS.
Fourth-bore Caldecott traffic, which travels westbound, will be rerouted through the third bore.
The drill is mandated yearly by the California State Fire Marshal.
Jacala said Friday night's drill--the first since the bore was completed in 2013--will stage a multi-vehicle crash in the tunnel, complete with smoke and pyrotechnics. Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol and fire departments from Oakland and Moraga will respond.
"There are accidents that happen in a bore and obviously those things that we can't predict but we can always plan for and we want to be prepared in case those things happen," he said.
Some of the newly installed technologies to be tested during the drill include rotating fans designed to blow smoke, new fire hydrants, emergency passage ways, lights and communications system.
This emergency response drill for the bore was initially scheduled for last December but was postponed due to the storms.