The calm before the storm

Before major construction begins Thursday evening, the entire Bay Bridge is closed to traffic, including access to and from Yerba Buena Island. Construction crews stand ready on both sides (Shown here is the toll plaza from the Oakland approach.)

The bridge was closed in record time. The original estimate for closure was two hours. Instead, it took just 21 minutes. Back in 2007, the same type of closure, then for work on a 350-foot detour, took 48 minutes.

The bypass isn't the only work that's being done on the bridge while it's closed. It's also getting a thorough cleaning and re-painting, and will be used by local law enforcement agencies for training that cannot normally be done while the bridge is operational.