San Francisco’s Bay Bridge closed over Labor Day weekend

I almost didn’t register it the first time I saw it.

The sign on the freeway said “Bay Bridge will be closed 9/3–8.”

I figured that they couldn’t really mean Labor Day weekend–a holiday weekend when everybody’s driving somewhere.

But it’s true.

Take note, visitors of San Francisco this Labor Day weekend: plan ahead to avoid the Bay Bridge!

The closure starts Thursday, September 3rd at 8:00 p.m. and ends by Tuesday, September 8th at 5:00 a.m.

If you’re driving, be sure to allow extra time to get around the bay and cross other bridges. You’ll want to check baybridgeinfo.org for closure details, and follow 511.org for traffic conditions, detour routes, and other transit options (ferries, BART, MUNI).

This is just the latest phase in the bridge’s construction–in the works since the 1989 earthquake forced either retrofitting or replacing the bridge’s eastern span. During this weekend’s closure, a 300-foot section of the old bridge will be rolled away and replaced with a new section that connects to a detour. Officials say they specifically chose this weekend for the closure because it’s typically light on traffic.