Traffic over Bay Bridge turns into nightly nightmare for commuters

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Trying to get to the East Bay over the Bay Bridge has turned into a nightly nightmare for months now. Caltrans has been closing lanes around 11 p.m. for maintenance and the result has been gridlock.

At 1st and Harrison, the onramp is open. It typically has been closed and that has been a huge part of the problem.

As for the work on the bridge, it's been going on since April but only recently have we seen this kind of gridlock.

"This is the worst traffic I've ever experienced in my life," Danville resident Matt Shupe said.

Shupe was trying to get home to Danville Thursday night after a conference in San Francisco. Not only was he stuck on the Harrison Street approach, he had no idea why.

"There was actually a while where I was parked and I actually got out of my car and was like looking around, trying to see what it was," he said.

Because traffic was at a complete standstill, he decided to tweet.

"Two hours later, I had finally gotten to the onramp, which was about five or six blocks," he said.

Caltrans is replacing expansion joints on the lower deck. Crews did the same thing on the upper deck last January.

"We do have a work window we need to get the work done during the night, and we have to make sure we're out of there at 5 a.m." Caltrans spokesperson Bob Haus said.

Tuesday night, it was a perfect storm. The Giants-A's game at AT&T Park got out late and the contractor closed the lanes earlier than he should have.

"We regret everything that happened Tuesday night, and we definitely are determined that this will not happen again," Haus said.

There's always something going on in San Francisco, like After Dark at the Exploratorium.

One patron is ready for her drive back to Davis. She learned the hard way Wednesday. "All the intersections getting on were just totally stopped and not moving at all. I said screw it and I went up across Golden Gate," Edie Marshall said.

Shupe is considering a hotel room. "I'm not prepared psychologically to sit through that again," he said.

The work is expected to continue through September. There will be no lane closures on the Fourth of July.