Bay Bridge Demolition Project Delayed 6 Months Due To Nesting Birds

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) The demolition of the Bay Bridges old eastern span will be delayed for at least six months because of nesting birds that refuse to vacate the structure, a transportation official told KCBS.

The plan was to build new nesting areas on the new eastern span for the hundreds of cormorants, that have called the old span home for as long as its been standing, but that has not gone accordingly.

Despite installing mirrors, installing recording devices to make it look like there are a bunch of birds already therethose birds have not been fooled, Metropolitan Transportation Commission spokesman John Goodwin said. We need to take what are known as additional bird mitigation measures and that may include more extensive use of netting.

Related: Relocation Of Birds From Old Bay Bridge Could Soar To More Than $30 Million

While the work to demolish the bridges cantilever sections continues, work to tear down two other truss sections will be delayed until Caltrans can come up with another plan. Goodwin said that, currently, they dont have another other ideas on how to get the birds to moves.

We originally thought we would open bids for the second phase of the demolition during this month of 2014 and thats been pushed out at least until February, Goodwin said.

This will add more costs to the project that already has incurred overruns.

Goodwin also said that work to demolish underwater piers that hold the up the structure may also be delayed because they cannot do the work while fish migrate through the waters underneath the old span.

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Bay Bridge Demolition Project Delayed 6 Months Due To Nesting Birds