News

San Rafael Bridge Drivers Urged to Stay Off City Streets During Delays

Published

5 years ago

April 29, 2019

Traffic delays are expected to the continue on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge for the next several weeks as Caltrans continues necessary bridge maintenance and repairs. Given that, the Richmond Police Department is asking motorists not to use city streets as a detour.

“Navigational apps like WAZE that direct motorists to surface streets in Richmond will “only increase your drive time,” RPD stated in an online post today.

RPD advised motorists to plan ahead as Caltrans continues its $8 million project to repair 31 expansion joints on the upper deck. The three-month project started in February after concrete chunks fell from the upper to lower deck of the 63-year-old bridge, damaging a car and prompting a nine-hour bridge shut down. Weeks later, more concrete pieces fell from the upper to lower deck. Early this month, pothole debris kicked up and struck a car windshield.

Another 30 joints on the lower deck will be repaired later this year, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). The repairs have delayed the project to create a bicycle and pedestrian path along the span’s westbound lanes. Last year, a third eastbound lane was opened during peak commute hours to alleviate increasing traffic.

The bridge has a total of 856 deck joints, of which 795 were rebuilt in the early 2000s as part of the seismic retrofit of the bridge or through other rehab projects. The remaining 61 joints “are located in the bridge’s 289-foot truss sections and date to the span’s original construction in the 1950s,” according to MTC.

Meanwhile, a separate project was set to begin this week to conduct tests determining the bridge’s potential lifespan — part of a plan to review state-run bridges over the next year.

Assemblymember Marc Levine has also floated the idea of building a new bridge.

RPD and city staff are working with Caltrans and the CHP “to identify solutions to these problems that have only become worse with the unforeseen bridge repairs,” the RPD stated.

“If you must use the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, please be patient and remain on the freeway to approach the bridge,” RPD said.

Courtesy of The Richmond Standard

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

7 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

2 weeks ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

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California Black Media

Yahushua’s Law: Senate Advances Bill to Protect Students from Extreme Weather

In a significant move towards student safety, the California Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill (SB) 1248, also known as Yahushua’s Law, on April 3. The bill is named in memory of Yahushua Robinson, a 12-year-old student from Lake Elsinore, who tragically died due to a heat-related illness during a physical education class in 2023. It is a pioneering effort to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Yahushua Nyerere Robinson (Courtesy Photo)

By California Black Media

In a significant move towards student safety, the California Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill (SB) 1248, also known as Yahushua’s Law, on April 3.

The bill is named in memory of Yahushua Robinson, a 12-year-old student from Lake Elsinore, who tragically died due to a heat-related illness during a physical education class in 2023. It is a pioneering effort to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Authored by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield) and co-authored by Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D. (D-La Mesa), SB 1248 directs the California Department of Education to develop comprehensive guidelines for schools regarding student activity during all extreme weather conditions.

“No student should ever lose their life on campus to extreme weather when we can take steps to protect them by preparing statewide plans to minimize exposure to the most harmful elements of exposure,” Hurtado said after introducing SB 1248.

The bill stipulates that schools must implement safety measures which include monitoring weather forecasts, postponing or relocating outdoor activities during hazardous conditions, and ensuring students have proper hydration and access to shade. It also requires schools to establish clear communication plans to keep parents, teachers, and students informed about potential weather hazards.

Supporters of the bill include the Robinson family, advocate Christina Laster, Bold Enterprises LLC, California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute, Familias Empoderadas del Valle Central National Action Network, The Black Student Advocate, and the Ventura County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Thanking Hurtado for introducing this crucial legislation, Weber said, “The story of Yahushua Robinson last year was heartbreaking. We have protections for farm workers and other industries in the case of extreme weather, now climate change is forcing us to also extend similar protections to students at school.”