Two major tunnels on state highways in the San Francisco Bay Area remain open early Wednesday morning after Caltrans officials initially warned they might close due to the PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff.
The Caldecott Tunnel bores and the Tom Lantos Tunnels are open to traffic as of 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, per the California Highway Patrol and
Caltrans websites.
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Tunnels to stay open
Caltrans says the Caldecott and Tom Lantos tunnels will remain open during power safety shutoffs
Caltrans officials said earlier Tuesday the tunnels may close because power is essential to keep the tunnels open because the tunnels must
be ventilated and electricity is required to run the tunnels' ventilation fans.
But since that time, Caltrans has worked to get four generators to keep the systems working on the Caldecott Tunnel and a similar solution for the Tom Lantos Tunnel should power be shut down in the area of the tunnels.
Caltrans worked overnight to bring in and install the generators that will power the tunnel's security system and safety and ventilation features the duration of the outage. The generators are in the testing phase to ensure they are properly functioning.
The agency says the generators can last longer than the anticipated seven day outage.
At least 181,000 commuters use the Caldecott Tunnel each day, according to Caltrans spokeswoman RocQuel Johnson.
The Robin Williams tunnel in Marin County was also open Wednesday morning despite having the power out. We saw cars driving through the darkened tunnel during the morning commute.
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Waldo tunnel in the dark
The lights were out in the Waldo tunnel during the public safety power outage
Motorists are encouraged to use 511.org or follow morning newscasts for the latest information.