Richmond-San Rafael Bridge reopens; final repairs begin Monday

RICHMOND >> The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge will be entirely open today after Caltrans engineers finished temporary repairs overnight Friday, according to a news release.

Caltrans officials had expected to begin repairs Monday night to fix a broken expansion joint on the 63-year-old bridge’s upper deck that dropped large chunks of concrete onto the lower deck of the bridge Thursday, damaging one car and bringing traffic to a standstill.

At about 9 p.m. Friday, however, Caltrans closed one lane to install larger metal plates over the damaged section, repairs which they finished at 1 a.m. Saturday.

A plywood barrier also has been installed below the crumbling section to catch any additional concrete.

Work on permanent repairs to the bridge will begin Monday, depending on weather conditions, which will likely require lane closures. Repairs will be done overnight to minimize impacts on commuters, according to Caltrans.

The project is estimated to take “several days if not a few weeks,” said Tony Tavares, director of the Caltrans district that covers the Bay Area.