Caltrans Demolishes Pair of Old Bay Bridge's Concrete Foundations

The Bay Area on Saturday got one step closer to saying a final goodbye to the old eastern span of the Bay Bridge.

Caltrans crews demolished two of 13 remaining concrete foundations as part of its ongoing project to completely remove the bridge and its fixtures from the water.

The Saturday blasts mark the first in a series of scheduled demolition projects to take place through mid-November, according to Caltrans. The implosions will continue every other weekend for six weekends.

The scheduled November completion date is one year ahead of schedule, according to Caltrans. The agency said that feat will save taxpayers $10 million.

"Significant environmental monitoring" was undertaken before, during and after the blasts, according to Caltrans. Officials said the explosions will have "brief impacts" on water quality and indicated that previous studies showed that the blasts "showed minimal impacts to marine mammals and fish." 

Caltrans added that the window between September and November is a time in which the least amount of animals are cruising around the bay.

Vehicle and pedestrian access to the Bay Bridge was temporarily blocked during Saturday's blasts.

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