All lanes of Richmond-San Rafael Bridge reopen after concerns over falling concrete, temporary fix in place

SAN RAFAEL,Calif. (KGO) -- All lanes of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge have reopened. Lanes were closed earlier due to falling concrete.

The closure caused gridlock stretching for miles. Thousands of people had to look for an alternative route. Many headed to highway 37 only to be stuck in a massive traffic jam.

The bridge closure was on and off for most of the day.

CHP says it was a 911 call that first alerted them to the problem after large chunks of concrete fell from the top deck to the lower deck of the bridge. At least one car was hit and damaged but no one was hurt.

It happened in a spot about a half-mile east of the toll plaza-which is on the Richmond side of the span.

Drivers who were stuck on the bridge when it closed were turned around by CHP and directed eastbound to exit the bridge.

VIDEO: Here's where concrete chunks on Richmond-San Rafael Bridge came from, fell

A steel plate is now in place over the areas where the concrete fell.

Caltrans has an emergency director's order which makes funds available for them to do long term repairs. The steel plates are a short term fix. There will be further assessments made this weekend to decide what exactly needs to be done.

As we know the bridge closure caused a traffic nightmare. Especially once the bridge closed for the second time. Caltrans says their workers caused the second wave of concrete to fall.

Officials say the bridge is safe to drive on, otherwise they would not have it open.

See more stories about the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.