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OAKLAND – The Caldecott Tunnel first was going to be closed because of the pending PG&E power shutoff, then a few hours later people were told never mind, it’s probably going to be open.
But confusion reigned again the next morning and it wasn’t until almost noon before it was confirmed that the tunnel — which sees about 100,000 vehicles pass through it each weekday between Alameda and Contra Costa counties — would remain open through any energy outage.
The uncertainty surrounding the Caldecott Tunnel’s status reflected the consternation that gripped the Bay Area on Wednesday, as hundreds of thousands of residents waited for the blackouts that were expected to begin rolling out after midnight but kept getting delayed throughout a mostly windless day.
It took PG&E and Caltrans — two agencies that have worn villain tags over the years — a good chunk of Tuesday to concoct a plan to keep one of the region’s main east-west commuter arteries open.
Caltrans announced just before 6 p.m. Tuesday it might close both the Caldecott and the Tom Lantos Tunnels that connects Pacifica and Half Moon Bay on Highway 1.
But close to 10 p.m., Caltrans announced it was working with PG&E to power the tunnels and avoid a closure. “Caltrans is working through the night with our partners to provide power to both the Caldecott and Devil’s Slide tunnels,” a tweet from the Caltrans account stated. “Motorists can expect them to be open during the power shutdown. Motorists should stay tuned to local media and use @511SFBay for the latest updates.”
Early Wednesday morning, however, neon billboards along Highway 24 and Interstate 680 announced the Caldecott could close at noon — the latest estimate of a power shutdown — although a lighter-than-usual stream of cars could be seen going through the tunnel in both directions.
It wasn’t until a late morning press conference that Caltrain officials confirmed the tunnel would indeed stay open regardless of when the power goes off.
“We had inklings there might be a large-scale shutdown this week, but it was still very vague until yesterday,” Jeff Weiss, a spokesman for Caltrans’ Bay Area district, told this news organization Wednesday when asked why all the confusion.
He said Caltrans was making plans to bring in emergency backup generators but wasn’t sure early Tuesday evening if they would arrive on time. The generators are supposed to prevent toxic vehicle exhaust from accumulating inside the tunnel and keep the lights, security cameras and emergency systems operating.
“But when we realized how big an effect it would have on traffic,” Weiss said, the agency worked with PG&E to ensure generators would make it to the tunnels. The generators finally arrived around 10 p.m. and crews worked through the night to ensure they were ready by noon Wednesday.
“We really hadn’t imagined that we would be in a situation where the power would be shut off in a precautionary measure, right?” Weiss said. “If we had a big emergency, we could make a decision of whether to let people through the tunnel or not. In an emergency situation, you wouldn’t have regular traffic — not commute-level traffic — and you decide if the risk is worth letting people through.
“If flames are chasing people, you say, yeah go through. So we know what to do with emergencies, but if it’s not an emergency — it’s an unusual situation. This has never happened before in the Bay Area,” he said. “It’s really an unusual situation.”
Power outages hadn’t been an issue before because the Caldecott Tunnel receives electricity from substations on both sides of the hills, so when one is down the other can take over, Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney said.
Caltrans is preparing for full closure of SR-1 Lantos Tunnels & SR-24 Caldecott as soon as this evening, October 8. Due to PG&E Pro Active Public Safety Power Shut Off. Tunnels cannot operate without power. This remains fluid. Stay tuned to media & @511SFBay for latest updates. pic.twitter.com/CKiIwQlHO1
— Caltrans District 4 (@CaltransD4) October 9, 2019
UPDATE: Caltrans is working through the night with our partners to provide power to both the Caldecott and Devil’s Slide tunnels. Motorists can expect them to be open during the power shutdown. Motorists should stay tuned to local media and use @511SFBay for the latest updates. https://t.co/foqiFBGSqG
— Caltrans HQ (@CaltransHQ) October 9, 2019
At the Wednesday press conference, Tony Tavares, Caltrans’ Bay Area director, said the agency in June ordered a permanent backup generator that’s expected to be installed and ready by next spring.
Tavares said the four temporary generators it received Tuesday night are small but capable of running the fans and other equipment, which the old ones on-site can’t do.
Asked why a permanent backup generator had not been ordered until recently, Tavares said Caltrans “could not imagine” the power would be shut off at both substations.
Caltrans officials confirmed the Tom Lantos Tunnels on Highway 1– known as the Devil’s Slide tunnel — would remain open during the power shutdown. The power is routed to the substation on a side of the tunnel that is not slated to be shut off, they said.
Composed of four bores, the Caldecott Tunnel connects Oakland to central Contra Costa County. The twin Tom Lantos Tunnels bypass Devil’s Slide and link the cities of Pacifica and Half Moon Bay.
According to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, transit services including BART, SMART, Caltrain, SamsTrans, Capital Corridor and VTA are expected to run normally during the power shutoff.
Staff writer Dan Borenstein contributed to this story. Check back for updates.
