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Portion Of Interstate 280 In San Francisco To Be Closed For Repairs Over Memorial Day Weekend

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – The Memorial Day holiday weekend closure of a portion of Interstate 280 in San Francisco begins Thursday night.

This is the first in a series of closures planned during holiday weekends this year, as Caltrans works to replace broken hinges along the viaduct.

Caltrans engineer and project manager Joon Kang said the broken hinges were discovered during a biannual inspection.

"There are many hinges throughout the entire structure, but only four of them were damaged," he said.

Kang said the hinges, which allow for expansion, contraction and movement during an earthquake, likely took on more stress than those in other areas.

Steven Williams with Caltrans said the first hinge, located on southbound 280 above Iowa and 26th streets, will be replaced this weekend.

"In order to access the hinges that are being replaced, it's going to be necessary to demolish the existing structure," Williams said.

The Memorial Day weekend closure starts at 9:00 p.m. on Thursday and goes through 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 27.

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Southbound on-ramp closures include the Mariposa/18th Street on-ramp, 6th Street/Brannan on-ramp and the King Street on-ramp. In general, southbound traffic will detour to U.S. Highway 101.

Northbound 280 will remain open this weekend, but will be closed on the 4th of July holiday and Labor Day holiday weekends, so the other three hinges on that side of the roadway can be replaced.

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