PG&E Power Outage Shut Off: Caldecott Tunnel will stay open during outage, PG&E to provide generators

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- PG&E says the Caldecott Tunnel will remain open during the planned power outage.

Officials say crews worked through the night to install generators. Of the four that were brought in, three are currently being used. Caltrans expects they will keep the tunnel open for several days.

There are permanent generators in the tunnel, but those only keep the lights and safety cameras on, not features including ventilation or the sprinklers.

Laws have changed since those generators will installed and now require a tunnel of this size to have all of those features working if it is open.

In June, Caltrans ordered a permanent generator that will be able to keep all those features on in the event of a shutoff. That will arrive and be installed this coming spring, and cost a total of $6 million.

The Caltrans District 4 director said he was "extremely surprised" when he learned the current generators wouldn't work to keep the tunnel open. He blamed it on a "95 billion dollar back log in maintenance work."

On Tuesday, Caltrans said it had plans to close the Lantos Tunnel along State Route 1 in Pacifica. That tunnel will also stay open with back up generators provided by PG&E.

For the latest stories about PG&E's Public Safety Power Shutoff go here.

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ABC7 News' Liz Kreutz contributed to this report.