Commuters will not be able drive on the upper deck towards San Francisco during Presidents' Day Weekend due to construction. The closure will start at 8 p.m. Friday, February 17 and last through 5 a.m. Tuesday, February 21. What this means is that drivers won't be able to drive into San Francisco via the Bay Bridge. People can use a sundry of assorted options including BART, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, and the Dumbarton Bridge. Ferry service is another option. more ›

Today in celebrity What the Eff news: famous figure skaters Brian Boitano and Kristi Yamaguchi are taking over KQED's twitter feed to tweet about... something. So far it's been mostly Boitano retweeting his own tweet about how he's in Greenville, South Carolina for an Improv Ice show. Yamaguchi, on the other hand, has taken to filling us in on traffic on 680 in the far East Bay. (Sent from her iPad, no less.) Observe: more ›

Westbound traffic on the Bay Bridge is a veritable nightmare this morning after a four-vehicle crash occurred just after 6 a.m. An AC bus carrying passengers collided with three other cars, which ended up blocking the far westbound lane. Traffic, as of 8:30, is in shambles. The McArthur Maze is a mess, and even traffic on a Dumbarton Bridge is jammed due to commuters opting for another route. more ›

President Barack Obama's impending San Francisco visit for a fundraiser at the W Hotel this afternoon will result in several street closures for at least one hour. If you drive or ride on the following streets at noon today, please find an alternate route: more ›

You're free. YOU'RE FREE! Run for your lives, little birds. You shouldn't have to be packed into crates (as pictured here) in order to become a succulent meal. You see, an estimated 2,500 chickens caused a major traffic jam this morning after a truck carrying 5,000 live chickens (no!) got into an accident on Interstate 80 near Vacaville. more ›

As the Chronicle reports, Michael Finerty, the 52-year-old big rig driver from Concord who was involved in yesterday morning's fiery crash on Highway 101, owes his life to 22-year-old Keenia Williams of San Francisco. Williams was driving her daughter to school when saw the truck tip over and burst into flames in her rear view mirror. more ›

A major crash involving a big rig, which sparked a massive fireball, shut down all southbound lanes at the Interstate 80 split in San Francisco. According to reports, "The CHP has issued a Sigalert and is urging motorists to use alternate routes." more ›

We thought it a little odd that the day after the tragic accident at Octavia and Oak that took the life of a UCSF professor Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi made sure to praise Octavia Street as "a fabulous Boulevard." Mirkarimi may have been trying to head off the inevitable criticism that would follow such an accident, given the Board's two-decade-old push to ban freeway construction north of Market Street, which led to the Boulevard plan for Octavia and the creation of what is, arguably, a very high-speed zone of city streets with cars exiting the freeway and rapidly making their way to the western ends of town. more ›

Eight major Muni lines are affected tonight after power lines went down at Mission and Front in downtown San Francisco. The following Muni lines were rerouted due to the downed lines: F-Market, 6-Parnassus, 14-Mission, 14L-Mission, 21-Hayes, 31 Balboa, 38-Geary, and 71-Haight-Noriega. Sorry, folks. [Examiner] more ›

An unidentified man, who is described as being in his 40s, reportedly stopped his car in the middle of traffic on the westbound side of the Bay Bridge this afternoon at about 2:45 p.m. Witnesses say he then jumped the rail and climbed onto the ledge of the upper deck of the bridge's western span, near the far right lane, just past the Treasure Island exit. more ›

Today's funeral services for fallen SFFD fire fighters Tony Valerio and Lt. Vincent Perez are expected to draw crowds of up to 5,000 to St. Mary's Cathedral at Geary Boulevard and Gough Street. This morning we've been spotting Fire Engines and Ladder trucks from pretty much every department in the Bay Area making their way up Divisadero for the procession that will stretch a couple miles long as it makes it's way from Cathedral Hill to Colma starting at 3:30 this afternoon. The services and procession will close streets throughout the Western Addition and Lower Pac Heights neighborhoods as well as part of Interstate 280. The complete list of street closures and Muni re-routes: more ›

This just in: Avoid the intersection of Lincoln and Funston near Golden Gate Park as "traffic has been impacted due to a water leak under repair," reports Alert SF. more ›

A massive accident shut down the on Golden Gate Bridge this evening. Both north and southbound lanes were closed at around 8:20 p.m. "Four vehicles were involved in the crash that happened in the middle of the bridge at around 8:10 p.m.," reports BCN (via SF Appeal). "It was possibly a head-on collision, but that hasn't been confirmed." Drivers should use the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge as an alternate route. more ›

Two issues snarl your Monday Muni commute today. First, a suspicious package found in the Sunset caused delays with both inbound and outbound portions of the N-Judah at 8th Ave. and Irving. Shuttle buses are in place. And second, "[t]wo San Francisco Municipal Railway bus lines have been rerouted because police have blocked the intersection of 23rd and Mission Streets to investigate a crash that happened earlier this morning," reports SF Appeal. The outbound 14-Mission and 49-Van Ness-Mission buses are currently being rerouted to South Van Ness Avenue. [SFA] more ›

This just in from Alert SF: "For the next hour, avoid the 3 to 4 block area around Steiner and Bush while utility repairs are made." Please be advised. (To receive alerts regarding emergencies disrupting vehicular/pedestrian traffic, watches and warnings for tsunamis, flooding, earthquake, and overall citywide chaos that might hinder your day, visit alertsf.org.) more ›

This just in: Two northbound lanes and 3 southbound lanes of Highway 101 are closed in Millbrae due to problems with nearby power lines. No word yet on when the problem will be resolved. Please be advised. [via KPIX 5 breaking report during People's Court] more ›

If your morning commute involves the northside of Park Presidio, take a deep breath and expect a few minutes delay. Bay City News is reporting via the Examiner that the area of Park Presidio near California Street is closed to traffic due to a power pole that's currently "dangling precariously." The pole had been damaged in an earlier accident. more ›

Two lanes of traffic just before the Bay Bridge tunnel are closed after a truck carrying sand spilled its contents. Traffic, which we can see outside the windows of SFist headquarters, is frighteningly backed up. more ›

KRON 4 Morning News reports that north bound traffic on Van Ness is blocked this morning after a Muni bus smashed into a pole near O'Farrell. Police are diverting traffic onto Ellis. Cars are backed up to Civic Center. No word yet on any injuries. Stay strong, commuters. more ›

Pedal-pushers on the Wiggle will be familiar with the harrowing intersection at Fell and Scott Streets - where relatively tame neighborhood traffic takes a left turn to meet the one-way torrent that rushing down the hill on Fell Street. (Not to make it sound dangerous or anything.) more ›

Several commuting friends of ours have noted that traffic getting into the city over the Bay Bridge is quite light most mornings lately around 8 a.m., and now the Chron informs us that it's official: For the first time in 28 years the Bay Area does not rank among the Top 5 worst cities for traffic in the 2010 Urban Mobility Report (published annually by the Texas Transportation Institute. more ›

The CHP made 64 DUI-related arrests in the Bay Area during New Year's Eve this year, as opposed to 92 last year. Four fatal collisions occurred in the Bay Area between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Saturday, compared to zero fatalities last year. According to San Jose Mercruy, the California Highway Patrol still hadn't determined if any of those fatalities were alcohol- or drug-related as of Saturday afternoon. more ›

Another major part of the new Bay Bridge tower starting going up on Wednesday. According to San Jose Mercury News, "Crews on Wednesday began hoisting the giant steel pieces that will make up the third of the 535-foot tower's four legs" Ideally, the work will be done by Sunday. Fingers crossed. more ›

Around 7:10am during this morning's commute, a heavyset man in a Black SUV called in to the KCBS traffic tipline to alert them to a potential traffic jam: his own vehicle he had pulled over on the westbound deck of the Bay Bridge. According to reports the man explained he was armed and his vehicle was carrying explosives along with his 16-year-old daughter he was holding as a hostage. A negotiator was requested to speak to the man, described by CHP as "truly mentally unstable," as he exited the vehicle and threatened to jump off the bridge. more ›

BART will suffer from Giants fever today and tomorrow by "stepping up its game by running longer trains and allowing employees to sport a bit of black and orange." They will also have "special event" trains on standby. more ›

Workers worked all night on the San Mateo Bridge to fix a crack found in a steel beam, a repair job that affected westbound traffic. "One of three westbound lanes was closed and was expected to remain coned-off for 24-to-48 hours." [KTVU] more ›

A semi knocked over a traffic sign and is blocking 280 N entrance at Monterey, causing major issues. Thus: your evening commute might be a long one. more ›

Matt Baume of Stop8.org, live from an ENDA protest in progress in the Castro, reports, "GetEqual in Castro, protesting Pelosi's ENDA inaction. About to block traffic." That was 40 minutes ago. And now? Well, traffic is blocked. Please be advised. more ›

Coming on the heels of numerous recent pedestrian and cyclist deaths, SFPD will be conducting "pedestrian enforcement operations" throughout September. The operations will take place during peak traffic hours at various locations throughout the city, including the Geary Street corridor, San Bruno Avenue corridor, Bayshore Boulevard, Sixth Street corridor, and Cole Valley. more ›

If you're trying to get a jumpstart on your Labor Day Weekend, be advised that a crop-dusting helicopter crashed on 101 in Salinas a little after 6 a.m. No one, including the pilot, sustained any injuries. However, after the CHP temporarily closed all southbound lanes, traffic remains sluggish throughout the morning. [KTVU, Chron] more ›