A Bay Bridge accident today contributed to major traffic delays across the Bay Area Thursday morning as several crashes and an underground electrical fire disrupted key commuter routes.
Traffic on the Bay Bridge became heavily congested after a crash near the toll plaza, while separate collisions on the San Mateo Bridge added further pressure to the region’s morning commute.
Crashes Cause Major Bay Area Delays
The California Highway Patrol reported crashes affecting major bridges and highways throughout the morning. A collision involving injuries on the San Mateo Bridge, also known as State Route 92, blocked lanes and prompted a severe traffic alert.
The resulting congestion sent additional commuters toward the Bay Bridge, where traffic began backing up before the morning commute reached its peak.
Motorists reported extremely long travel times, with some drivers saying their trip across the Bay Bridge was taking hours.
San Francisco Vault Fire Adds to Gridlock
At the same time, San Francisco firefighters responded to an underground electrical vault incident in the Financial District shortly after 6 a.m.
Smoke was reported coming from underground vaults near California and Front streets. Fire officials later reported eruptions in multiple vaults, while crews from the San Francisco Fire Department and PG&E worked together at the scene.
A shelter-in-place order and evacuations were issued for portions of California and Front streets. Officials also warned commuters to avoid the affected area and expect significant traffic delays.
Bay Bridge Traffic Update
The combination of bridge crashes, roadway restrictions and the Financial District emergency created widespread delays across San Francisco, the Peninsula and East Bay.
Drivers traveling through the Bay Area are advised to allow additional travel time, watch for emergency crews and consider alternate routes where possible.
The crashes and fire remain separate incidents, but together they created a difficult Thursday morning commute for thousands of Bay Area drivers.
