Bay Bridge Closure in San Francisco Pictures and Information

A view of the eastern span of the San Francisco Bay Bridge October 28, 2009 in Oakland, California. The San Francisco Bay Bridge was abruptly closed Tuesday evening after two steel tie rods and a crossbeam from a steel saddle broke and fell onto the upper deck of the bridge landing on three vehicles and causing one person to suffer injuries. The eastern span of the bridge is undergoing seismic renovation and is expect to be completed in 2013. (Getty Images)more pics »San Francisco's Bay Bridge was closed Tuesday afternoon after a rod and a metal brace put in place during Labor Day repairs snapped off and came crashing down onto the heavily-trafficked bridge. Two drivers collided with the debris, but incredibly, no one was hurt.

The Bay Bridge carries about 260,000 vehicles a day. (Getty)
"If you look at the totality of the circumstances -- you've got the 5:30 commute, you have a 5,000-pound piece of steel falling out of the sky. We are so fortunate that no one was injured or killed," California Highway Patrol Sgt. Trent Cross told KTVU-TV.

The incident left many stranded in their cars for several hours, and has left the bridge closed indefinitely. Many in the Bay Area were pleasantly surprised when repairs to the bridge were completed early over the long Labor Day weekend. The bridge, scheduled to be closed all 3 days, was opened after only a few hours.

University of California, Berkeley civil engineering professor Abolhassan Astaneh-Asl, has accused Caltrans authorities of "putting public relations ahead of public safety." Astaneh-Asl told the Associated Press the incident is further proof that a longer-term solution is needed for the damaged bridge.

"The repair they were doing was really a Band-Aid," he said. "The Band-Aid broke, in essence."

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