SAN   FRANCISCO—On Friday, August 16, it was announced that the new eastern half of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will open to traffic in September. State Transportation officials are reversing their prior decision to delay the opening for months after defective earthquake safety bolts were found.

Drivers will be able to use the bridge while workers continue repairs for a few months as a temporary solution. Members of the Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee, an organization overseeing the construction, voted unanimously to connect the new part of the bridge to the western half over the Labor Day weekend.

The bridge will close for construction on August 28, and will open the new stretch of road on September 3. The decision came so close to the opening that officials decided to not proceed with an extravagant celebration planned to mark the completion of the bridge. At $6.4 billion, it is the single most expensive piece of infrastructure in California history.

By Luis Cuevas