Transbay travelers may want to avoid their cars in the coming days, as the Bay Bridge will be shut down at 8 p.m. Wednesday and remain closed over the Labor Day weekend.
The bridge is scheduled to reopen before the morning commute Tuesday, after the new eastern span is connected to the existing toll plaza to the east and Yerba Buena Island to the west.
Regional transportation officials have worked hard to ensure that the closure won't gridlock the Bay Area, in part by offering around-the-clock train service, bike shuttles between Oakland and San Francisco, bus service to and from BART stations for AC Transit riders, and extra ferry service. Information on all of the options is available at 511.org or by calling 511.
It's the fourth time since 2006 that the bridge has been shut down over Labor Day weekend, and the other closures went smoothly, said Randy Rentschler, director of public affairs for the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
"One of the reasons we close on this weekend is because we do have lower traffic counts ... (and) the residents of the Bay Area have been very patient with us over many years of Labor Day closures," he said. "I think some people will say it's a good excuse for a longer Labor Day, and I think we will see some telecommuting."
The Bay Area, he added "also has a great overlapping transit system," including BART and the ferry systems.
For most of the closure, BART will run limited 24-hour train service at 14 stations, including to the San Francisco and Oakland international airports.
The transit agency will also run longer trains and increase the frequency of service during the numerous events scheduled for the holiday weekend, including A's baseball and Cal Bears football games in the East Bay and the America's Cup races in San Francisco.
On Sunday and Monday, BART will operate on a Saturday schedule; the agency will not run trains between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Tuesday.
For more information about BART service in the coming days, visit bart.gov.
"BART can handle it - if they can do the San Francisco Giants parade, they can do this," said Rentschler. "The ferries will also have extra service - they are not going to have midday service as some people would like, but they will have extra service."
From Thursday through Monday, regional transit officials will also offer a bike shuttle service from Oakland to San Francisco that will cost $1 each way. The bike shuttle will pick up at MacArthur BART Station in Oakland and the corner of Main and Folsom streets in San Francisco. For a schedule, visit alert.511.org/p/bicl.html.
AC Transit riders will not be able to access transbay service; the agency will instead add stops at four East Bay BART stations to pick up and drop off San Francisco travelers. Those four stations are Coliseum/Oakland Airport, MacArthur, North Berkeley and West Oakland.
AC Transit buses will cease transbay service at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday and resume when the bridge reopens Tuesday. For more information, visit actransit.org.
Some ferry service will be added during the bridge closure to accommodate additional riders. For information about the San Francisco Bay Ferry schedule, visit sanfranciscobayferry.com; for information on Golden Gate bus and ferry schedule changes, visit goldengate.org.
It's not clear how many Bay Area businesses are offering options such as telecommuting on Thursday and Friday, said Rufus Jeffris, a spokesman for the Bay Area Council - but the fact that the bridge will only be closed for two normal workdays is good news, he added.
Some businesses will probably offer more flexible work schedules, while some employees will probably take an extra day or two off. Others might find new ways to get around outside of their cars.
"Obviously, it's a holiday weekend so folks are not going to be working or commuting on a normal pattern. We'd expect to see some impacts on smaller businesses, tourist-related businesses - people may be delaying or canceling trips into the city or East Bay," Jeffris said.
"At the same time, some people are probably planning on sticking close to home and will be out and about in their respective cities, so they will be spending money there."
Jeffris said the largest impact will be on workers who can't do their jobs from home, such as waiters, sales clerks and security guards - and those who have to have face-to-face meetings.
