Richmond-San Rafael Bridge damage forces lane closures

Caltrans shut down lanes on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge on Monday for an emergency repair that set off a major traffic jam during the afternoon commute.

Caltrans said maintenance crews on Monday morning discovered “unsound, spalling concrete” of the eastbound upper deck near pier No. 25, which is closer to the Marin County side of the span. Spalling is when the concrete breaks apart.

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Caltrans closed the No. 2 lane on the westbound upper deck and the No. 2 and No. 3 lanes on the eastbound lower deck.

The No. 1 lane in each direction remained open.

“It was a 3-inch spall, that spalled all the way through. You could actually see it from the lower deck,” said Bart Ney, spokesperson for the agency. “We haven’t found any chunks, but there is some powder, so certainly some has come loose.”

Ney said there have been no reports of vehicles being struck by loose concrete.

After an initial evaluation, crews cut a 42-inch-by-20-inch section around the damaged area, replaced rebar and filled the hole with concrete to patch the road.

Crews completed the pour around 5 p.m. and were beginning to open the center lane on the lower deck, Ney said.

The curing time for the concrete was expected to take 4 to 5 hours, though. The other impacted lanes were not expected to reopen until later in the evening, Ney said.

Caltrans said motorists should expect delays and seek alternate routes.

In February 2019, crumbling concrete fell onto a car from the upper deck due to a failed expansion joint. The incident left a 6-foot-by-7-inch triangular cavity in the upper deck and resulting in a full closure of the bridge, prompting emergency repair and traffic pandemonium.

Months later, more fallen concrete resulted from ongoing construction work to replace expansion joints on the upper deck. The project involved replacing 31 expansion joints on the upper deck and lower deck.