Author: Michael Cabanatuan
For 10 days in May, bicyclists will be able to take a midnight ride across the east span of the Bay Bridge. Pedestrians will get to take moonlight walks, too, weather cooperating.
The span’s 2.2-mile bike and pedestrian path, which travels from Oakland to Yerba Buena Island and is now closed between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., will open for 24 hours on May 10 and stay that way until May 19 at 9 p.m.
The all-night hours are intended as a test to see what will be needed to make 24-hour operation permanent, which has been the plan since transportation officials agreed to include a bike path on the bridge’s replacement span in the late 1990’s.
“We’ve been discussing it for a long time and this will give us an idea what we need as far as lighting, additional CHP officers and anything else,” said Bob Haus, a Caltrans spokesman.
While the bike path officially opened in September 2013, a few days after the first cars crossed the new east span, it’s only been available to bike riders and walkers during limited hours.