The westbound deck of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will be closed during Presidents’ Day weekend 2012. Construction of a slight detour near the toll plaza will require the upper deck heading into San Francisco to be closed from Friday, February 17th, at 8:00PM to Tuesday, February 21st, at 5:00AM. Eastbound traffic will have full access to the bridge during the closure. Also, access between Yerba Buena Island/Treasure Island and San Francisco will remain open during the closure. Weather could slow construction and delay the reopening of the westbound deck, which will remain closed until this essential operation is completed.

Westbound drivers will experience a slightly different approach to the bridge after Presidents’ Day weekend. While speed limits will remain the same, drivers heading toward San Francisco should be prepared for a slight detour as they approach the upper deck.

During the closure, motorists are encouraged to take public transit and/or alternate driving routes. Transit options will include overnight BART service at select stations and additional ferries. AC Transit will not be providing Transbay Service. Motorists should allow extra time for travel and use of other bridges, including the Golden Gate Bridge, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge and the Dumbarton Bridge. By implementing this detour, along with an eastbound detour that was installed during Memorial Day weekend in 2011, the entire bridge will open to the public earlier than previously scheduled.

The detours will allow construction crews to work between the existing and new bridges to complete the new eastbound lanes, which is not possible without the traffic realignment. The current westbound lanes are in the path of the new bridge’s eastbound lanes. Without the detours, eastbound traffic would have stayed on the original bridge for about six months after westbound traffic traveled on the new bridge.