MacArthur Maze Reopens To Traffic

May 23 - KGO (KGO) -- The inconvenience that tens of thousands of drivers have experienced since the MacArthur Maze collapsed is now over. The I-80/580 connector reopened and traffic began moving across the new portion of the ramp Thursday evening.

Caltrans had originally planned to reopen the roadway Friday morning at 5 a.m. But like the construction work itself, everything happened ahead of schedule.

Caltrans said the 580 connector would be open no later than 5 a.m. They beat that by more than seven hours.

The ramp reopened to traffic at 8:39 p.m. The concrete was poured on Sunday, and since then, crews were waiting for it to cure. They also spent the past few days doing electrical and touch-up work.

All of that is done and now cars are moving through, once again.

This project was finished well ahead of schedule, well before the June 27th deadline set by Caltrans, and because of that, the contractor, C.C. Myers, will be getting a $5 million dollar bonus.

It's hard to believe that it was only three-and-a-half weeks ago when the 580 connector collapsed after a tanker truck crashed and exploded. But an emergency declaration issued by the governor cleared any red tape which put rebuilding efforts on the fast track.

Crews with Caltrans and C.C. Myers worked around the clock to get the 580 connector reopened as soon as possible. Caltrans insists that despite the fact that it was finished so quickly, nothing was compromised in terms of safety. They say they are confident the connector is structurally sound.

Watch raw video from SKY7-HD of the reopening of the MacArthur Maze below:

Safety Concerns

But U.C. Berkeley civil engineering professor Abolhassan Astaneh said he doesn't think the freeway should be opened so quickly. He said Caltrans should have rebuilt the four supporting piers of the structure or prove the piers can withstand a major earthquake.

Professor Astenah said he's concerned about cracks in the piers discovered in test bores drilled into the columns.

Kent Sasaki, Caltrans Engineering Consultant: "The damage was typically limited to the near surface, meaning that damage did not extend far beyond the exposed surface of the concrete."

A private firm of engineers, architects and material scientists brought in to assess the concrete in the structure said it found the same cracks professor Astenah did, and recommended repairs which Caltrans made.

A photograph shows a section of a pier where the concrete was removed and replaced.

Kent Sasaki: "The concrete that exists out there I am confident is sound. Our tests show that it is sound."

Caltrans' state bridge engineer, Kevin Thompson, added concerns about seismic safety are also unfounded. He said it's as safe as before, and will be safer once a seismic retrofit contract that started before the tanker crash is completed.

Kevin Thompson, State Bridge Engineer: "That structure is seismically safe. There was no compromise in seismic safety in any way shape or form in the design early on or throughout the process of putting this replacement project back together."

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