Macarthur Maze in Oakland, Calif., Set to Reopen May 26

The freeway interchange in Oakland, California known as the Macarthur Maze serving the Bay Bridge and Interstates 80, 580, and 880 is set to fully reopen on May 26, 2006, weeks ahead of schedule according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Macarthur Maze, or as it is locally know, simply "The Maze" is an important segment of the interstate system in the San Francisco Bay Area, serving to feed the Bay Bridge from Oakland, Berkeley, Contra Costa County and other East Bay neighborhoods. On April 29, a double tanker truck carrying 8,600 gallons of unleaded gasoline headed for a gas station on Hegenberger Road in East Oakland overturned and exploded, causing the connector ramp from Eastbound I-80 to Eastbound I-580 to collapse due to the intense heat according to the Chronicle. This section of freeway fell onto the connector from Westbound I-80 to Southbound I-880. Amazingly, there were no fatalities in the crash and the only serious injury was to the driver of the truck, who suffered sever burns.

In the early aftermath of the crash, estimates for the rebuilding of the vital Macarthur Maze ranged up to 6 months for full repair. Caltrans feared difficulties in finding enough steel to complete the project. If this had come true, the negative effects on the economy of the Bay Area and on the quality of life in West Oakland would have been staggering. Traffic was snarled throughout the Bay Bridge corridor, stacking up across the span of the bridge into San Francisco in the evenings, and backing up I-80 Westbound in the mornings. Traffic detours from the Bay Bridge to I-580 East routed cars down West Grand Avenue in West Oakland, a residential working class neighborhood that already suffers from high pollution, from trucks serving the nearby Port of Oakland.

Because of the dire circumstances, Caltrans and the State of California expedited the reconstruction process in a manner similar to the repair of the Bay Bridge following the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and the Santa Monica Freeway after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. Removal of the debris started the day after the collapse, and the contract for reconstruction was immediately put up for bid. The winner of the contract was C.C. Myers, Incorporated, a construction company experienced in high profile freeway reconstruction, having successfully repaired the Santa Monica Freeway in 1994 well ahead of schedule. The terms of the contract provided for a bonus of $200,000 for each day the project was completed prior to June 27, 2007 and a penalty of $200,000 for each day after June 27, up to $5 million if the project was opened June 2 or earlier. The founder of the company, C.C. Myers, announced bold plans to beat the June 2 date and collect the full $5 million bonus. There were few doubters of Mr. Myers, considering his track record. According to the Chronicle, Myers said "(We've) got to have it done before the holiday weekend or the public will be mad at me."

Once the debris was cleared from the I-880 connector, samples were taken of the steel and concrete to determine the extent of the damage. Initial tests on the I-880 connector proved to be very positive. Officials quickly determined that the connector would not need to be rebuilt. C. C. Myers' firm quickly reinforced the connector ramp and repaved the road surface opening the I-880 connector on May 7, 2007, barely a week after the accident.

After I-880 was reopened, the construction crews set their sights on I-580, the more difficult task, as there was a large section of the road missing. Steel beams that Mr. Myers' had started sourcing immediately after getting the contract were delivered to the construction site and installed. The frame was quickly reconstructed, and concrete was poured on the weekend of May 19 and 20. Starting on May 21, the workers will be rebuilding the concrete barriers and later in the week. On May 21, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that the Macarthur Maze will be completely reopened by Friday, May 26, in time to handle the getaway traffic on Memorial Day Weekend and only 28 days after the accident occurred. According to the Chronicle, Schwarzenegger said in a statement, "Thanks to hard, around-the-clock work of Caltrans and C.C. Myers, our local partners and businesses, Bay Area motorists can once again travel through this busy interchange. Just in time for the holiday weekend, this roadway will be open in 26 days from when the accident occurred."

C. C. Myers will surely be very happy to receive the full bonus of $5 million, however he won't be able to rest on his laurels. The I-880 connector, which has been open since May 7, still needs more shoring up for the fix to be permanent. The roadway dropped nine inches after the accident due to the weight of the I-580 connector falling on it and needs a more permanent fix.

Sources:

"Governor says MacArthur Maze will reopen for Friday Morning Commute", San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/05/21/BAGHLPUTLK3.DTL

Michael Cabantuan, John Coté, "Job to be finished before holiday, contractor vows", http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/17/BAG4MPSKMI1.DTL

Demian Bulwa and Peter Fimrite, "Tanker fire destroys part of MacArthur Maze", San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/29/BAGVOPHQU46.DTL