Caltrans Warns Against Rubbernecking During Bay Bridge Construction
OAKLAND (KCBS/BCN) - Construction of the Bay Bridge's new eastern span was expected to reach another milestone Wednesday. Crews were scheduled to begin a new phase of work on a tower that would rise more than 10 stories above the span.
KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:
"This is very large work, and it will be extremely visible," explained Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney. He called on motorists to keep their eyes on the road instead of trying to catch a glimpse of the construction.
Distracted drivers, he pointed out, had the potential to slow traffic.
The work was scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. Wednesday and continue around the clock until sometime Sunday, Ney said.
In late July, crews installed the first tower sections on the new self-anchored suspension span. On Wednesday, crews would install four new 107 ft. sections, each weighing 617 tons.
Once those sections were in place, the tower would stand 272 ft., over half of its eventual final height of 525 ft.
Ney said the final sections would be installed in January 2011. That work, though, would be above the line of sight for drivers.
He said the $6.3 billion project to build the new eastern span was still on schedule and was expected to be completed in 2013.
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