Emergency Road Repairs Shut Golden Gate Bridge Lane
SAUSALITO (CBS SF) - One lane of the Golden Gate Bridge remained closed Tuesday afternoon after the road deteriorated during the morning commute, forcing emergency repairs.
Two southbound lanes along the western edge of the bridge were paved overnight as part of a seismic retrofit project on the northern end of the bridge, Golden Gate Bridge District spokeswoman Mary Currie said.
During Tuesday morning's commute, the new asphalt began to crumble, leaving pebbles one-half to three-quarters of an inch in diameter on the roadway, Currie said.
"They were changing lanes. They were coming across that taper and that taper started to give way. It's called unraveling. It's when asphalt unravels," Currie said.
The loose material forced the closure of two other southbound lanes to allow the California Highway Patrol to slow traffic in the two lanes that had just been paved, Currie said.
Currie said only one lane would need to be closed during the evening commute, meaning that two southbound and three northbound lanes would be available to drivers.
Chopper 5 captured images of a lengthy backup extending in the southbound direction from the bridge all the way to Marin City around the noon hour.
CHP Officer Andrew Barclay said the lanes where the problem occurred are expected to be repaved again overnight.
Motorists should expect traffic delays, including those headed to the San Francisco Giants game Thursday night.
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