Bay Bridge demolition delayed by 3 months

The next phase to tear down the old Bay Bridge has been postponed for three months.

Caltrans said Monday that the deadline to submit and open bids for the second of three big contracts on the $271 million demolition job has been pushed back from November to February.

Four potential bidders told Caltrans they needed more time to study the complicated job of tearing down the deck, support beams and steel trusses and upper piers on most of the bridge. Work already is well underway on the most westerly portion of the demolition -- removing the cantilever and other sections near Yerba Buena Island.

"The contractors wanted more engineering time to study the contract," said Caltrans spokeswoman Leah RobinsonLeach. "It's a very complex job to take down a bridge."

Another tricky part of the job will be finding a way to prevent cormorants and other birds from making homes at traditional nesting sites on old east span areas when demolition contractors need to work there.

Because state and federal wildlife rules bar disruption of nesting birds, the demolition project could become costlier and take longer if the birds are around at the wrong time.

Still, opening the bids three months later won't put birds and demolition crews at odds in the 2015 nesting season, Robinson-Leach said.

Crews on the second demolition contract will do planning and setup during the spring and summer nesting months in 2015, and not start tear down work until fall, Robinson-Leach said.

That gives the contractor time to come up with a plan for keeping the birds away during the 2016 nesting season, which is usually between February to August.

John Goodman, a spokesman for the Bay Area Toll Authority, said the potential presence of nesting birds on the bridge remains a risk that could drive up demolition costs.

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Bay Bridge demolition delayed by 3 months