Highway Collapse

915 days ago - Throughout the next week, Caltrans will shut down a portion of the MacArthur Maze between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. each day so workers can clear construction debris from Interstates 580 and 880 — which were both recently repaired after a fiery gasoline-tanker crash a little more than a month ago.

921 days ago - The morning-after celebration of the MacArthur Maze reopening was a bit like an Oscar acceptance speech, with everyone receiving a “thank you” from federal, state and local officials.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger toured the site, taking a look at the underbelly of the Interstate 580 connector that reopened Thursday night, just 25 days after a tanker truck fire brought it down onto the Interstate 880 connector.

“This is a day we all can be proud how well the system functions when there’s a will behind it,” said Schwarzenegger of the repairs. “There’s a lot of people that have worked together to make this happen,”

Joining the governor were state Department of Transportation Director Will Kempton, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, California Highway Patrol Cmdr. Michael Brown and Dale Bonner, secretary of the state for the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.

In the early morning of April 29, a gasoline tanker truck crashed on the overpass connecting Interstate 80 westbound to Interstate 880 southbound. The resulting fire collapsed a 165-foot portion of the Interstate 80 eastbound to Interstate 580 eastbound connector onto the ramp connecting westbound Interstate 80 to southbound Interstate 880.

The two ramps carry roughly 160,000 drivers daily as part of the MacArthur Maze, an integral confluence of roadways that connect residents and commerce to all corners of the Bay Area.

921 days ago - After transit agencies such as BART and AC Transit sprung into action to help the Bay Area commute cope with its worst traffic nightmare since the Loma Prieta earthquake, complications with emergency funding are delaying reimbursements, federal officials said Friday.

The emergency supplemental spending bill allotted $25 million dollars for the Maze meltdown. The bill, which also funded U.S. troops in Iraq, passed the House on Thursday night. But the law was written to make only the ferries in the Bay Area eligible for reimbursements of additional expenses, said U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland.

“Much of the reimbursements from the federal government did not include all of the transit reimbursement, except for the ferries,” Lee said.

At the MacArthur Maze press conference Friday, Lee said she was working with U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., to “incorporate comprehensive” language into an amendment or new legislation to make sure the funds became available.

On May 4, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters granted a $2 million installment from the Federal Highway Administration Emergency Relief Fund, calling it the “first of many.” The state is eligible to recoup all of its expenditures from the Emergency Relief Fund because the repairs were completed well within the 180-day window, and the money is expected to come.

All forms of transit assisted during the traffic emergency with BART setting records in dail

922 days ago - It’s official: The eastbound Interstate 580 overpass is open in plenty of time for Memorial Day weekend.

923 days ago - The construction company hired to rebuild the eastbound Interstate 580 overpass sliced through red tape to approve designs faster, mobilized hundreds of contractors and used readily available materials to finish the overpass in just 18 days, well before the June 27 deadline set by the state.

925 days ago - Commuters can expect the eastbound Interstate 580 overpass that was destroyed in a fire last month to reopen for the Friday morning commute, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Monday.

929 days ago - After enduring congested detours and longer commutes, Bay Area drivers may soon have something to smile about: The eastbound Interstate 580 overpass destroyed in an explosion is scheduled to reopen a week from today — just in time for Memorial Day weekend.

932 days ago - Repairs to the Interstate 580 overpass that burned and collapsed two weeks ago are ahead of schedule — a sign that the heavily traveled MacArthur Maze may reopen well before the June 27 deadline set by the state.

938 days ago - Repairs are under way on the eastbound Interstate 580 overpass that burned and collapsed 10 days ago in a gasoline-tanker explosion.

939 days ago - Repairs to the destroyed eastbound Interstate 580 overpass are expected to begin today, a day after state transit officials reopened the portion of southbound Interstate 880 that was charred when a gasoline fire caused a MacArthur Maze roadway to collapse, wreaking havoc on commuters.

940 days ago - Although still black from soot, the portion of southbound Interstate 880 charred in a gasoline-tanker explosion a week ago is expected to reopen to commuters today, about three days ahead of schedule, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Sunday.

942 days ago - The MacArthur Maze collapse received a once-over from local and federal representatives Friday, who announced that $2 million in federal funds was immediately available for repairs.

The collapse costs the Bay Area economy $4 million to $6 million per day, and the $2 million was the “first installment of many other funds” from the Federal Highway Administration Emergency Relief Fund to reimburse the state’s Department of Transportation, said U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters.

Early Sunday, a tanker traveling on the connector between eastbound I-80 and southbound I-880 slammed into a guardrail, causing 8,600 gallons of gasoline to burst into flames.

The intensity of the fire caused 750 feet of the elevated eastbound I-580 overpass above to slam down on the southbound I-880 connector.

The I-880 connector is expected to open by May 12, but crews need to brace the road before hydraulic jacks are brought to lift the sunken road.