Work prompts night closures on westbound San Mateo Bridge

Two of three westbound lanes of the busy San Mateo Bridge will be closed for five consecutive nights beginning Tuesday after a three-foot-wide hole opened up in one of the lanes. Asked whether the closures will result in heavy traffic in the area, Bob Haus, a spokesman for Caltrans, said, “It’s hard to say.” Closing one lane at 7 p.m. then one lane at 10 p.m. may create some extra traffic in the westbound direction, but the evening commute is primarily eastbound at night. Haus said he is still warning people to allow for extra time and to expect at least some minor traffic delays. The hole was so large that, upon original inspection, bridge engineers determined it could not be repaired with a simple patch. Tuesday through Friday night crews will conduct all prep work to fix the hole, with the actual laying of new rebar and concrete taking place Saturday night into Sunday morning.