The Bay Bridge is once again open to traffic - following six long days of urgent situation structural maintenance and hellish commutes - but it will most likely be shut down again in a few months for a permanent fix.

Richard Land, Caltrans chief engineer, said Monday afternoon that even as the repairs finished early that morning made the bridge safe for drivers, engineers were looking for "a better solution something more robust, better performing."

Until Monday, Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) official had steadfastly protected the design of their fix, which involved taking the force off a cracked eyebar that was establish during Labor Day weekend. That repair concerned install saddles above and below the cracked piece with four high-strength steel rods connecting them, and then worried to pull the weight away from the eyebar.


Caltrans engineers suspect that metal rubbing against metal, caused by high winds, cause two rods and a saddle to come crashing to the roadway last Tuesday. Their design to fix the problem was like to what they had fashioned over Labor Day weekend, but they added elements to prevent the metal-on-metal contact.

"This is a provisional fix," Land said, "but a long-term answer might be desired. Right now the plan is not to keep the present strategy in place for the long term."Caltrans engineers will study suggested repairs over the next couple of months in search of a plan that will be as strong as the current fix but need less monitoring and maintenance as the repair just install.

Instead of designing the long-term repair under time pressure, with the bridge closed and commuters fuming, Caltrans would plan the work and schedule a closure, perhaps in four to five months, Land said. The length of the conclusion would depend on the repair chosen. The options include replace the eyebar, a huge responsibility that could involve replace several eyebars, which join like a chain.

For the time being, Caltrans official said they added a number of "enhancements" to stop metal-on-metal contact, to prevent wind and bridge feelings from causing the rods to move, and to prevent the piece of the repair from falling to the bridge deck if they should fail again.

They spent much of the time adjusting the position and configuration of the metal piece to assure they were not rubbing. Plans that monitor stress and movement have been added, and Caltrans crews will check on the repairs daily for at least two weeks.