Tanker fire destroys part of MacArthur Maze; 2 freeways closed near Bay Bridge

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/chronicle/archive/2007/04/29/BAGVOPHQU46.DTL&o=2

Officers with the highway patrol said that the driver of the tractor-trailer, which was apparently carrying gasoline, may have been speeding southward on Interstate 80 toward the bridge when he lost control of the truck, which hit a guardrail and flipped on its side.

The accident also evoked memories of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which knocked down an elevated section of Interstate 880 near the site of Sunday’s accident. That collapse, which occurred during the evening rush hour, resulted in 40 deaths, as cars on the lower level were crushed.

Trains from Bay Area Rapid Transit, the train system connecting San Francisco and the East Bay, were not affected by the accident, though additional trains were being added.

More
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/29/us/29cnd-collapse.html?hp

http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_5780113

The tanker was filled with 8,600 gallons of unleaded gasoline.

The connector from westbound Interstate Highway 80 to eastbound Interstate Highway 580 is open, but eastbound Interstate Highway 80 to eastbound Interstate Highway 580 remains closed, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Traffic continues to flow onto the bridge.

Travelers wishing to enter San Francisco from the East Bay may take Interstate Highway 80, which remains open.

Travelers coming from San Francisco to Oakland or Hayward, as well as those traveling from Berkeley to Oakland, on Monday, will likely experience problems and should seek alternative routes or public transportation, Cross said.

It could be weeks, if not months, before traffic resumes as usual on the stretch of road, according to a spokesman for CalTrans.

Read More And Watch Video:
http://www.nbc11.com/news/13217764/detail.html

From Berkeley on the eastshore freeway heading toward the Bay Bridge there is no problem aside from traffic delays. But drivers hoping to go through the maze and continue on southbound on I-880 are being diverted onto I-580 and then onto I-980 and back onto I-880 because the only other route around the collapsed section would be on city streets.

Delays getting onto I-580 eastbound or I-880 southbound are minimal this morning.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/29/BAGQQPHR006.DTL

April 29, 2007

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that isn't going to affect the east Contra Costa people in the morning very much, because those lanes are open. It will be people returning from SF in the evening who are going to flood the side streets. The ramp for continuing to head south into Oakland from Emeryville is useful, but there are still freeway based alternatives that don't require such a long diversion. But for heading east from the Bay Bridge, Caltrans actually suggested going to I238 in Castro Valley. It's unlikely that many people will do taht, and instead they'll take ashby or drive through downtown Oakland.

The dependence on the global warming machines, cars, becomes more ludicrous daily. And when these things happen because the State of California, Democrats and Republicans together, do not bother to fix this area because they would rather spend money on prisons, which they just voted to do 100% in the Assembly and about 90% in the state Senate. Then, when this inevitable accident happened, they try to push more people on BART, public transportation, which cannot handle the load. And since this has happened twice now, and we have had a major earthquake affecting the same area, the stupid Legislature should ban tanker trucks from the freeways and demand that the oil be put on trains or ships. The terrorists are the Democrats and Republicans in the state government who (1)vote for more money for prisons; (2) refuse to pay for more public transportation from the general fund, better known as tax the rich; (3) cut the taxes on the rich instead of raising them to pay for what we need, and transfer money from the prison budget, which we do not need, to public transportation and all other social service needs; (4) refuse to ban tanker trucks from the road; (5) play the street criminal game of pointing the finger at some mythical figure and scream terrorist when they should look in the mirror to see the terrorist, themselves and their whole rotten private profit bankrupt system that makes them richer and endangers the lives of working people daily. My sympathy is with the poor driver who was obviously just trying to earn a living and was seriously burned, as well as the rest of the working people who have to somehow get to work. Stop the terrorist State Legislature's funding of the prison system and refusal make the rich pay for decent public transportation! Stop the terrorist State Legislature which allows tanker trucks on the roads instead of putting the oil on trains or ships.

Let's stop the whining about people not being able to get to work. Most of the work people in AmeriKKKa do strengthens, directly or indirectly, the ability of the Empire to continue screwing over the rest of the world. Maybe Tuesday's general strike can start earlier and last a while, and with the unplanned participation of lots more people.

BTW, if one driver could purely by accident do that much damage to the Empire's economic infrastructure, and without hurting innocent people (except, unfortunately, himself!), imagine what a significant number of conscious anti-imperialist fighters could do!

I mean, really, you've got to be kidding! One freeway accident like this is NOT going to bring down the capitalist terror machine.

This incident DOES give anti-capitalists, environmentalists, renewable energy advocates, transit advocates, workers and the like a golden opportunity to push for increased mass transit and free rides for the same, IF THEY USE THIS EVENT TO ORGANIZE thoughtfully and methodically.

But calling for insurrectionary violence? Shit, man, when has that ever worked and who in their right mind would support that? Not most people I know, and probably not even me. Do us all a favor and keep these fantasies in your bedroom where the belong.

Steve O. writes:
One freeway accident like this is NOT going to bring down the capitalist terror machine.

Gee, Steve, you're right! I just looked out my window and saw that the capitalist terror machine is still standing! Thanks for the heads-up!

As for "insurrectionary violence", I'm all for it when the time and place is right. But that's another discussion. What I wrote about here is sabotage of the imperialist war machine, including the general economic infrastructure that that war machine depends on. And I wasn't calling for anything. I was rather suggesting possibilities -- fantasizing, if you will. And that kind of fantasy belongs in the shared commons, not in one's bedroom.

I do believe, BTW, that the majority of the people of the world -- certainly the majority outside the imperialist countries! -- would support and celebrate both sabotage and insurrectionary violence in the imperialist heartland!

Who is Sabek Transportation? What is their relationship with the Valero refinery in Benicia? Was the driver sleep deprived? How fast do authorities think the driver was going? Were there measures that could have been taken to avoid this accident or was it really just an accident that nothing could have been done about. In all of the coverage I've been looking at, these questions have not been asked nor answered. I wonder why?