Great news for Bay Area drivers, as a holiday weekend construction project that shut down a busy Bay Area freeway is wrapping up quicker than expected. NBC Bay Area’s Christie Smith reports from the stretch of I-280 that was closed this Fourth of July weekend.
A stretch of northbound Interstate Highway 280 in San Francisco is now closed for construction. The closure will remain in effect throughout the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
The highway closure between the U.S. Highway 101/I-280 interchange and downtown San Francisco began at 9 p.m. on Wednesday and was expected to reopen at 5 a.m. on July 7. But on Sunday, Caltrans said the stretch should reopen a bit earlier--by 9 p.m. Sunday.
The closure will give crews time to replace a bridge hinge on northbound I-280 between Cesar Chavez and 24th streets.
The on-ramps affected by the closure include Alemany Boulevard, the Highway 101 connector to northbound I-280, Indiana Street and 18th Street.
Off-ramps that will be blocked include Mariposa Street, Sixth Street, and King Street.
Southbound I-280 will remain open during the closure and motorists are advised to use Highway 101 as a detour or take public transportation to avoid expected heavy traffic on alternate routes.
A stretch of southbound I-280 had been closed over the Memorial Day weekend holiday for similar work for the hinge replacement project.
An additional closure is planned for the Labor Day holiday weekend.
The three closures will allow crews to work on three bridge hinges, which connect two parts of a bridge to expand and contract during strong movements, such as in an earthquake, according to Caltrans.
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Those living near the closed stretch of highway should expect some loud sounds for the next few days while crews demolish concrete around the old bridge hinge, remove those pieces and install a new hinge.
According to Caltrans, the three hinges that are being replaced during the shutdowns allow the two parts of a bridge on the highway to expand and contract during strong movements like an earthquake.
