Great news from Caltrans Sunday. The San Mateo Bridge will not have to be closed next weekend because the earthquake safety work is going to be complete ahead of schedule.
The bridge has been shut down since Friday night so that crews could install a new seismic joint and replace 60 feet of the bridge deck just east of the high rise.
"This is great news for the traveling public as all bridges will be open next weekend and motorists will be able to use their normal routes for their weekend plans," Caltrans said in a release.
Caltrans said the contractor made unexpected progress on the westbound deck replacement Saturday and that enabled them to also replace the eastbound bridge deck span this weekend as well.
The bridge is still expected to reopen at 5 a.m. Monday. Suggested alternate routes for motorists during the closure are the Dumbarton Bridge, the Bay Bridge or a southern route along state Highway 237.
The project costs $3 million and is being funded by the Bay Area Toll Authority.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
