New Oakland Bay Bridge Span To Open Over Labor Day Weekend

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Despite broken earthquake-safety bolts that threatened months of delays, California transportation officials have voted to open the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge around the Labor Day weekend as originally planned.

The Toll Bridge Oversight Committee voted at a public meeting Thursday to approve a temporary fix for the bolts and open the span on September 3.

Spread the word! The Bay Bridge will open Labor Day Weekend. For more information, visit http://t.co/i0iQsJbwJy

— Bay Bridge (@BayBridgeInfo) August 15, 2013

Officials warned last month that fixing the broken bolts would take contractors until at least December, pushing back the bridge's opening. The idea for the temporary fix, however, surfaced days later.

Federal officials have signed off on the temporary repairs. They involve installing steel plates in the area of the broken bolts to help prevent movement during an earthquake while long-term repairs are done.