"I've never seen anything like it," Officer Trent Cross of the California Highway Patrol said . "I'm looking at this thinking, 'Wow, no one died -- that's amazing.' It's just very fortunate."
Authorities said the damage could take months to repair, and that it would cause the worst disruption for Bay Area commuters since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged a section of the Bay Bridge itself.
Nearly 75,000 vehicles use the portion of the road every day. But because the accident occurred where three highways converge, authorities said it could cause commuting problems for hundreds of thousands of people. State transportation officials said 280,000 commuters take the bridge into San Francisco daily.
Yesterday the collapse doubled the half-hour trip drivers normally face getting to and from San Francisco and the eastern suburbs -- even though many didn't even attempt the trip because of the collapse. Traffic appeared light on the bridge itself, but motorists looking to get on and off were backed up on both sides.
Transportation officials said they already have added trains to the Bay Area Rapid Transit light rail system that takes commuters across San Francisco Bay, and hope to increase its capacity by about half. They also are urging people to telecommute if possible.
In preparation for rush hour, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger authorized funds so ferries, buses, and the rail system can carry commuters free of charge during today's commute.
State officials said motorists who try to take alternate routes today instead of relying on public transportation will face nightmarish commutes.
The tanker, carrying 8,600 gallons of gasoline, ignited after crashing into a pylon on the interchange, which connects westbound lanes of Interstate 80 to southbound I-880, on the edge of downtown Oakland half a mile from the Bay Bridge's toll plaza.
