Bay Bridge closure

The Bay Bridge remains closed after parts of a cantilever section fell and struck three west-bound vehicles Monday (October 26) during the late-afternoon commute. The damaged section was part of an emergency repair over the Labor Day weekend. The following experts at UC Berkeley are available for media interviews.

Abolhassan Astaneh
Professor of civil engineering
Cell: (925) 699-3902
Office: (510) 642-4528
Home Office: (925) 946-0903
E-mail: astaneh@ce.berkeley.edu
Media Relations contact: Sarah Yang, (510) 643-7741, scyang@berkeley.edu

Expertise: Astaneh is a structural engineer with expertise on the design of steel buildings and bridges. He has been studying the Bay Bridge design since a section of the upper deck collapsed 20 years ago during the Loma Prieta earthquake. He has closely followed the repair of the eyebar section of the Bay Bridge – the same section involved in the current failure – that occurred over the Labor Day weekend.

William Ibbs
Professor of civil engineering
Office phone: (510) 643-8067
Cell: (510) 420-8625
E-mail: ibbs@ce.berkeley.edu
Media Relations contact: Sarah Yang, (510) 643-7741, scyang@berkeley.edu

Expertise: Ibbs' background is in industry and construction management. He is an expert on the design and construction of large civil, industrial and mechanical engineering projects.

He has testified before the Massachusetts Highway Department about the cost and scheduling problems with Boston's infamous Big Dig project. He has also testified before the California legislature about the delays and cost overruns involved in the construction of the new Bay Bridge eastern span.