California's Bay Bridge Opening Remains In Doubt

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The final decision about whether the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge can open on Labor Day as scheduled is still a month off as crews continue work to fix 32 broken seismic safety bolts.

Metropolitan Transportation Commission Executive Director Steven Heminger told Bay Area officials on Wednesday that more time is needed to determine how long repairs of the broken bolts will take.

Heminger says July 10 is the "drop-dead date" for knowing whether the span will open on time.

The failure of 32 bolts which attach the bridge deck to earthquake shock absorbers called "shear keys," has put the bridge's opening date in jeopardy.

The new bridge is replacing a span damaged during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.