Bay Bridge construction suspended

A construction project on the Bay Bridge’s western span has been suspended after commuters experienced significant delays on Friday, Caltrans officials announced Sunday.

The project was set to replace six expansion joints on the bridge’s upper deck and place steel plates on the roadway to accommodate the work, Caltrans spokesman Bob Haus said.

The project started on Friday and was scheduled to continue for two months, he said. Haus said motorists driving over the tapered plates would likely slow down or come to a complete stop until they are used to driving over the plates.

Haus said people do generally slow down when going over the plates, but there is no need to come to a complete stop before driving over them.

Caltrans engineers will be looking into other options for the project that would have a lesser impact on traffic, according to Haus.