San Francisco, California: Crash Closes Northbound Golden Gate Bridge for More Than an Hour

All northbound lanes of the Golden Gate Bridge were closed for more than an hour on Tuesday morning, Oct. 27, after a two vehicle injury crash on the span, the California Highway Patrol said. Officers were called to the bridge shortly after 6:10 a.m., and the CHP said all lanes were open again as of 7:30 a.m.

The crash closed every northbound lane of Highway 101 on the bridge while the southbound direction stayed open, according to KION. A severe traffic alert was issued for the span, and the backup reached past the Toll Plaza and the Highway 1 and Highway 101 interchange. Drivers heading from San Francisco toward Marin County and the North Bay were urged to use other routes, and heavy backups remained through the morning commute after the lanes reopened.

What is known and what is not

The CHP described the collision as an injury crash. Local alert services and outlets reported injuries, but authorities have not released how many people were hurt or how serious the injuries are, and no cause for the crash has been given. The CHP continues a routine investigation, according to Particle News, which summarized the alert and local reports.

The bridge is the Highway 101 link between San Francisco and Marin County, and a full closure of one direction in the morning commute quickly backs traffic into the city. Tuesday's closure was a crash closure, not a planned one. Separately, the Golden Gate Bridge district has scheduled overnight lane restrictions this week, from Monday, Oct. 26 through Friday, Oct. 30, for the seismic retrofit project, with the work running from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weeknights while the bridge stays open. Drivers crossing late on Tuesday night should expect slower travel near the work areas. The district's published lane closure schedule says the Friday night operation continues until 7 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, and that the bridge stays open to traffic in both directions during the overnight work.

For drivers who cross the span every day, the timing was the hard part. The closure hit at the start of the morning commute, when northbound traffic is at its heaviest with people heading from the city toward jobs and schools in Marin County. With every northbound lane blocked, traffic had no way across the bridge, and the alert warned of delays that would last after the wreck itself was cleared. The CHP has not released the types of vehicles involved, and this story will be updated if the patrol releases injury information or a cause.