What with a new eastern span being built, the Bay Bridge is going through more changes than a teenager hitting puberty. This can be dangerous. In 2009, a truck driver careened off the span and plunged to his death while navigating a new S-curve.
Come this Memorial Day weekend, a new detour will materialize before drivers’ eyes, and Caltrans isn’t taking any chances. From the Contra Costa Times:
Caltrans on Tuesday announced the holiday weekend timing to shift eastbound traffic slightly to the south onto the new alignment for about 1,000 feet of bridge near the toll plaza. Caltrans officials said they are publicizing the switch early because they don’t want motorists surprised.
Part of the campaign involves a new iPad and iPhone app, created by Autodesk, which lets drivers simulate the change in two dimensions before they actually encounter it in their cars.
Yesterday, KQED’s Tara Siler visited a simulator at the Autodesk Gallery at 1 Market Street to give it a spin. She then tried the app on an iPad. Listen to her report here:
And her unofficial report, relayed to yours truly: Both the simulator and the app made her nauseous.