SAN FRANCISCO—The westbound lanes of Interstate 80 toward the city of San Francisco have been reopened. On Sunday, June 14, a group of protesters blocked all of the westbound lanes of the upper deck of the San Francisco Bay Bridge for approximately two hours that afternoon. All of the Interstate 80 lanes west of Treasure Island were blocked by 4:45 p.m. Both ramps and exits were closed.
A traffic warning was issued by the California Highway Patrol. Ramp meters at the bridge’s toll plaza were operating at 5:15 p.m. with a sig alert issued at 6:30 p.m. A sig alert is a notice that an accident has caused a disruption in traffic. After the sig alert was issued, two of the bridge’s lanes were reopened for westbound traffic. At 7:10 p.m., a third lane was reopened with all lanes reopened by 7:50 p.m.
The protesters were spray-painting “#BLM” onto the lanes of the bridge. Twenty-nine suspects at the scene of the incident were taken into custody by officers of the San Francisco Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department. Five vehicles and three bicycles were towed. The protesters were participants of a car caravan linked to a series of demonstrations nationwide and in the Bay Area within the last two weeks. Protesters were arrested for trespassing and/or resisting arrest.
