Richmond-San Rafael Bridge repair nears completion
Commuters using the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge in the evening will be happy to hear that all of the bridge’s lanes will be open at night.
The previous shut-down of all but one lane was caused by falling pieces of concrete back in February. Construction crews from Caltrans fixed the issue by replacing a failing joint on the bridge’s upper deck. They went on to replace the rest of the bridge’s joints on the upper deck just to be certain. Tony Tavares, the District 4 Director for Caltrans said:
The 31 joints were originally installed in the 1950s. They have been replaced with a modern concrete joint that has rubberized seals which are able to change size with the temperature. The engineers believe that this will keep the joints from failing in a similar manner.
The 30 joints on the Richmond-San Rafael’s lower deck will be replaced next year and will be done together with a painting contract. Drivers on the bridge may still see poster printing and signage indicating the closure of lanes in a few weeks because a few trusses still need to be fixed after a collision with a large truck. Lanes will be closed in both directions while the Truss is fixed.
The previous shut-down of all but one lane was caused by falling pieces of concrete back in February. Construction crews from Caltrans fixed the issue by replacing a failing joint on the bridge’s upper deck. They went on to replace the rest of the bridge’s joints on the upper deck just to be certain. Tony Tavares, the District 4 Director for Caltrans said:
“Safety is Caltrans’ top priority. Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to replace the remaining sliding plate joints on the bridge, starting with those on the upper deck.”
The 31 joints were originally installed in the 1950s. They have been replaced with a modern concrete joint that has rubberized seals which are able to change size with the temperature. The engineers believe that this will keep the joints from failing in a similar manner.
The 30 joints on the Richmond-San Rafael’s lower deck will be replaced next year and will be done together with a painting contract. Drivers on the bridge may still see poster printing and signage indicating the closure of lanes in a few weeks because a few trusses still need to be fixed after a collision with a large truck. Lanes will be closed in both directions while the Truss is fixed.