Weekend I-80 closure snarls downtown S.F. traffic, but Bay Bridge remains open

San Francisco motorists encountered snarled traffic over the weekend after Caltrans closed the eastbound Interstate 80 Bayshore Freeway between Fourth and 17th streets for repairs.

The $70 million project, which is expected to last through 6 a.m. Monday, sent traffic snaking through surrounding surface streets downtown, but as of Sunday, the closure had not produced the Carmageddon gridlock that officials had feared.

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"This is a major closure on a weekend so Caltrans is urging the public to use public transportation and if they need to use their cars, they can use our detours," said Lori Shepherd, a Caltrans spokesperson. The detours are posted online.

Caltrans reported heavy downtown traffic Sunday as motorists headed to major San Francisco events, including the Cherry Blossom Festival's grand parade from Civic Center to Japantown and the child-friendly Rock and Roll Playhouse at Chase Center.

A putrid odor rose from the new pavement Saturday morning as the sun baked the roadway around the Bayshore Freeway. Traffic trying to head toward the Bay Bridge, which remained open, was redirected to Highway 101 north as workers in white hard hats choked the roadway with trucks and orange cones.

Crews worked around the clock to repave the 1-mile-long stretch of the Bayshore Freeway, a bridge that stands 100 feet in the air, with 900 cubic yards of concrete overlay to extend the life of the roadway.

It was either that or replace the bridge - a costly proposition that would take years.

Robert Kobal, the project manager for Caltrans' resurfacing project, noted that the life of a bridge is typically about 75 years. This bridge was built more than 70 years ago.

"So we're about at that point where we either need to replace the bridge or close it and do rehab," Kobal said. "We chose rehab. It's an economic thing. This is definitely cheaper than rebuilding the bridge. This will last about 20 or 30 years."

Plus, it beats closing access to the Bay Bridge for years, Kobal said.

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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 7:22 PM.