Bay Bridge Closure in California's Bay Area Adds Stress, Fear to Resident's Lives

The Bay Bridge in the Bay Area of California has been closed for over a week after an I-beam failed that had been replaced a few months earlier. The original replacement of this piece of the bridge caused a long closure during the summer of 2009. This was certainly a hassle for area residents, but it was long planned and was done partially over a long weekend so the impact was lessened. This latest closure was caused by a piece of the bridge falling and actually hitting a vehicle. Thankfully a disastrous situation was averted as no one was critically injured, however this began a saga that has lasted for nearly a week. The major artery between the heavily populated east Bay Area and the equally heavily populated city of San Francisco has been shutdown, closed to traffic completely.

Anyone who has spent time in the Bay Area knows that it has some of the worst traffic in the nation. The region's unique unique geography, with urban areas spread out around the edges of the bay, make driving over bridges a necessity to get to different cities. Further, the high cost of living in the areas nearer to San Francisco make long commutes a way of life for many people who work in San Francisco and live in outlying suburban areas. This makes the current situation quite a debacle for area residents trying to plan their daily commutes and, like the bridge, many people are surely being stressed to their breaking point.

There is a viable public transportation option in the Bay Area, as the BART commuter rail train serves much of the region, although it does not provide service to the South Bay area, home to the area's most populated city, San Jose. Even for those who live in areas served by BART, it is not always an option that people see as suitable due to current overcrowded conditions and an increasing fear of violence and theft. Oakland, California, across the bay from San Francisco, is one of the most crime plagued cities in the nation and is well served by BART. Recent incidents have led some to fear riding on BART for fear of becoming victims of crimes. Also, the BART system was meant to supplement the highway and bridge system, not to replace it, so overcrowded trains are only adding to the safety and security issues.

By most estimations, people who wold normally have had an hour long commute and rely on the Bay Bridge are now having to wake up as early as 4AM each day to get to work on time. Undoubtedly this can't be good for people's health and may start to affect work performance as people lose focus and tempers flare. The S.F. Bay Area is regarded as one of the tech capitals of the world, maybe its time that employers in the region drew some inspiration from this and used technology to allow workers to telecommute until the bridge is fixed? Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to keep this trend a few days a week even after the bridge is fixed. Surely many people in this region, one of the nation's most expensive and stressful areas to live in, would appreciate a few days less each month racking up the miles on their way to and from work.