With all that has happened recently, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge has been placed under the microscope. However, what transpired on Nov. 10 did not require any magnification.
A truck driver was killed when he lost control of his rig on the bridge’s new S-curve. The vehicle jumped the guardrail before plummeting 200 ft to Yerba Buena Island.
Accidents—a total of 44—have littered the S-curve since it was installed during the Labor Day weekend, but Caltrans insists the culprit is speeding, not design.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the three-axle truck involved in the latest incident was carrying pears and traveling about 50 mph in a 40-mph zone.
Caltrans is in the process of installing signs on the bridge warning drivers to slow down before the S-curve. However, larger safety upgrades, like a higher guardrail or funneling traffic to fewer lanes, are not being considered.
The Bay Bridge has been plagued with accidents and mishaps since Labor Day weekend, when officials had to extend a routine maintenance closure when cracks were discovered on the East Span. The bridge was closed again last week when broken rods dropped debris onto rush hour traffic.
Caltrans is still confident that the bridge is safe to cross.
