>> live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> here is something you haven't seen: traffic moving through the bay bridge toll plaza. this is the first morning commute on the new eastern span of the bridge since the bay bridge re-opened early. traffic is moving smoothly. >> good morning on tuesday. thanks for joining us. >> i drove that bridge. it is a lot different. here's the first hours of the first morning commute with the new bay bridge in action. engineering feat 24 years in the making. >> more on your impressions but, first, amy hollyfield is at the toll plaza. this is a long-awaited sight.

>> it is fun to watch people go through the toll plaza and think of the experience they will have. it is history in the making. it will be the first time today. this is a picture of the cars going across after opening just after 10:00 p.m. last night. the cars are enjoying a straight shot across the bay, no more s-curve, just a straight drive. we have video from last night of the first cars crossing, making history as the new bay bridge opened after 10:00. cars were parked, packed, and waiting on both sides to be the first cars to cross the bridge. they were not sure when it would open so it was a long wait. we were told it would open last night and they opened it after 10:00. officials are hoping everyone is enjoying the experience.

>> the project has a very storied history particularly this past year. we hope people can see this for the totality of what it is. we are delivering a beautiful state-of-the-art bridge. >> and expensive costing $6.4 billion. but don't think you can drive across it as fast as you would like. c.h.p. will watch to make sure people do not zip too quickly across the new bridge. it is a straight shot. it will be tempting if it is your first trip. that is not okay. they will watch to make sure you do not go too fast. a new feature is we have shoulders. if there are stalls i hope you the first car to stall, not part of history you want to make. if there are stalls, there is a shoulder new so you can move to the shoulder and there is not a backup. you can drive across and not

have to worry about cars being stuck. enjoy your commute! abc7 news. >> you do not want to be the first accident cross the bridge. >> you do not want to be the first accident any place. here is leyla gulen. >> so far, so good, we are not seeing any accidents, we have clear conditions making the approach to the bay bridge. if you travel through albany to berkeley we are at top speeds. at emeryville and the tolls we do not have slow downs. everything is locking clean. do not slow down on the shoulders or pull over to gaze at the beautiful view, keep going. it will be there for a while. you can enjoy a new span of the bay bridge. look at the bay bridge toll plaza. traffic is smooth just a few

souls and maybe an early buildup so more people can take advantage of this ride. >> leyla gulen, good morning. this is live doppler 7 hd, unlike yesterday there are no sprinkles, no light showers, all if the trillion valley and headed into the high country. this is how it looks from mount tamalpais on sausalito and san francisco there are a few clouds but we are going to have a lot of sunshine even to the coast it will be brighter than yesterday. temperatures are close to average at 80 to 88. 73 to 82 is the spread. 67 at the coast to 70 in san francisco. eric? >>guest: mike, thank you. we will check with cell 7 technology. our engineer is on the move, on the bridge. you can take your first trip

vicariously. dick, good morning! >> good morning, eric. this is just an incredible experience. this is my first trip over the bridge westbound into san francisco. i came over eastbound this morning to get over here and coming or starting at the tunnel and enjoying the bright lights in the town fell rather than the old yellow lights and when you pop out of the tunnel, no s-curve, no rumble strips, just a straight shot, and this is just a majestic structure. it is very wide open. a feeling of freedom. you have to be careful with the freedom because c.h.p. is out here with quite a few units cruising back-and-forth to make sure people do not speed or stop to take pictures or whatever the case may be. they are on sight so this is

something we do not so we have seen the last few oranges is backed up traffic. there is no traffic at the toll plaza. no traffic on the bridge deck. an incredible experience. >> we want to follow you along the whole span, drive the whole span with you but we will check back. thans for now. it does lock very smooth. very straight. >> bicyclists and pedestrians are getting a first chance to travel on the bay bridge's new span. a portion of the bicycle path opens at noon to the public and an organized bicycle ride on the pat is scheduled for 6:00 this evening. the bicycle pat extends now to the tower and crews still need to demolish part of the old span to connect the path to yerba buena island and when it is complete it will extend two miles between oakland and the island. we will have more on the historic morning on the new span

and how the first commute is shaping up. we want to know what you think of the new bridge. join the conversation on facebook to share your thoughts. >> developing news from san jose where police are trying to track down the driver responsible for a fatal hit-and-run didn't. two women died in the crash and relatives held a vigil where they wondered if the c.h.p. could have prevented this tragedy. abc7 news reporter matt keller has more. >> memorial is set up for the two women killed 24 hours ago right here. the seven for the hit-and-run driver conditions and the families of the two victims gathered at the crash site last night. they were headed to their jobs as cook at san hose international airport a mile away and the car they were riding in was broadsideed yesterday morning at 3:20.

san jose police are looking for the driver who ran away. >> whoever hit us, hit our family, we are not mad. turn yourself in. >> the c.h.p. tried to pull the mercedes over before the collision after officers spotted the driver speeding and westbounding through traffic on northbound 101. he sped away and ran a red light after getting off 101. officers decided newt pursue him for safety reasons. police checked video at hotels and businesses and this morning no word on a suspect description. >> a memorial service is health today for a danville teen killed in a car crash last week. the 17-year-old robert orlando was killed when the car he was riding in hit a tree. two others were injured. the three were coming home from a fishing trip before the first day of school. the memorial service is open to the public at 3:00 p.m. in san

ramon. >> union leaders are claiming bart is deliberately stalling contract negotiations over a new contract that could force another strike. the san francisco companiener reports the union representing 2,400 bart workers filed complaints with the governor and state attorney general. there has been no significant progress to report says the union or a negotiating session since the 60-day cooling off period is three weeks ago. a bart spokesman says that state and federal mediators met with each group individually during the break. the next session of negotiation is monday but the main issues including wages are not on the table. >> crews hope cooler temperatures and higher humidity will help make additional progress fighting the rim fire which now is 70 percent contained because of water-dropping helicopters. the full containment of the four

the largest wildfire in state history is now expected to take another 2 1/2 weeks. >> we have a spectacular new bridge that we drove across. you will like it. >> you kept your eyes on the road and tried not to look at the structure. >> yes, like this, one eye on the bridge and one on the road. not easy. >> checking in with leyla gulen to make sure all is okay. >> everything is great. we have not heard of any accidents not yet and we. hope it stays that way and folks are just sailing across. the bridge has the look of a sailboat and it is a beautiful addition to the bay area. so else, what else is beautiful to the bay area is clear traffic. if you are moving out of tracy to dublin/pleasanton you can see we are at 50 miles per hour. we have clear conditions toward livermore and pleasanton and 680

northbound and southbound that is moving along. highway 84 is clear and accident-free. 101 from the city to sfo ten minutes gets you there. northbound from 238 to the maze is 13 minutes and 101 northbound from highway 85 to san jose airport is 13 minutes. the san mateo bridge is looking wide open and we still have a stalled vehicle on the shoulder and the rest of the traffic is pushing well in the westbound direction. >> good morning, everyone. the moisture in the air shows all of us in the 60's yesterday. now we are back in the 40's in antioch and 50's elsewhere and holding on to the 60's in fairfield and oakland. the transition to dry air is taking place. we have a few clouds. the next 12 hours we are in the 50's and 60's. a mild start. by the time we get to noon it is

brighter. mid-to-upper 60's. inland it is 76. at 4:00, the humidity is dropping and we will warm to 84. 66 at the coast. mid-to-upper 60's this evening along the coast and the bay and 76 inland. moving forward three days, tomorrow is a lot like today with a few clouds in the morning and maybe a few high clouds but a lot of mild weather. the above average weather starts thursday and we are flirting with the unper 90's friday inland and 90 around the bay and 74 at coast. we will see to that stretches into the weekend. kristen and eric? >> we are following the first ever morning commute on the new eastern span of the bay bridge and this is a beautiful tower. next we will take you for a spin across the new bridge. >> super human feat of endurance, the inspiration diana

nyad wants us to take from her historic swim from cuba to

>> covering walnut creek, burlingame and campbell and all bay area this is abc7 news. >> good morning, the view from emeryville to the new wide open eastern span of the bay bridge is gorgeous. we will tell you what it is like to drive across. >> we will show you what it is like to drive across to get a sense of what it is like. we will check with our engineer behind the wheel with a look at the new span using cell 7 technology. i am almost in the same spot as the last report, i did not quite mattock to the towers.

the speed limit on the bridge here is 50 miles per hour. that is a very difficult -- to keep it at 50 miles per hour because this is a straight wide open stretch of roadway you find yourself creeping up to 60, 65, real quickly. you have to be very cautious. you can just now see that majestic single spire with the cables coming down to the left hand side of the picture and i am coming up to a mile from treasure island and yerba buena island off-ramp and the traffic is moving very well with no backup at the toll plaza so far this morning. the ride over the bay bridge is great. >> all right, we will talk to you this morning. 4:16. critics wonder if the new bay bridge is worth $6.5 billion final price tag. willie brown was in office during planning for the new span and says cost overruns are hard to foresee.

>> do not concern yourself about infrastructure project if no one stole anything you cannot predict the price. >> construction began in 2002 designed to last 150 years. >> diana nyad endurance swimmer is resting after the swim from cuba to florida. the 64-year-old staggered to the beach yesterday after 53 hours in the water. she is the first person to make the 100-plus mile swim without a wet suit, flippers or shark cage. >> it was the first day. and i said forget about the surface, get your heels in and with your left happened, push cuba back and public florida toward you. >> that got her through it mentally, her fifth attempt. the first attempt was in 1968

when she was 28. in those attempts dehydration, exhaustion and jelly fish stings forced her out of the water. she will be on "good morning america" right hour on abc7 news at 7:00. >> five difficult tries but she got there. now traffic. inspiration for all of us. getting through the commute will be easier. >> the mental endurance, it is just amazing. and folks had to use their mental endurance during closure of the bay bridge. the traffic is moving smoothly as you can see dick approaching treasure island. as we go over to san jose 101 to 80 and 85 all at top speed with no construction because of the labor day holiday. hope everyone had a nice holiday. as we take it to the dumbarton and san mateo bridge we can see

top speeds not seeing any problem and drive tam traffic, 580 at treecy to -- tracy to dublin is a short commute and looking good. 680 walnut creek from highway four to the 24 junction, hardly any cars. we have a warm-up, right, mike? >> warmer weather is on the way. live doppler 7 hd shows satellite showing the radar returns moving away from us. we have clouds along the coast. the rest of us, partly cloudy to mostly clear and fairfield is 72 degrees. low-to-mid 60's elsewhere until you are in the north bay where we have mid-to-upper 50's and san francisco and hayward at 61 and oakland and san carlos at 63 and concord and livermore at 63.

here is downtown where you can see a few clouds lingering overnight and in this forecast cycle, brighter and less humid and clouds and mild and weekend sunshine with a lot of summer warmth. some of us will push triple digits friday and saturday. low-to-mid 80's in the south bay and mid-to-upper 80's in gilroy and up the peninsula, we will reach 80. millbrae is coolest at 74. 70 in half moon bay and to downtown san francisco, 71 in south san francisco to 74 in sausalito and low-to-mid 80's through the north bay valley and upper 60's at your beaches. we will be in the mid-to-upper 70's along the east bay shore and the east bay valleys, mid-to-upperrity but not the humidity from yesterday. a's and rangers fighting over first place and 67 at 7:05 and dropping to 62 so delightful

evening. tonight, we will have mostly mid-to-upper 50's in the north bay and upper 50's to 60's for the rest of us. the seven-day forecast shows tomorrow is the same as today, and thursday is the warming trend and friday, saturday, and sunday, well above average. >> this morning, nokia will announce they are selling their smartphone business to microsoft at $7.2 billion showing microsoft is expanding their share of the smartphone market. most of the 32,000 employees will transfer to microsoft. >> the bay area has a new bridge and we have continuing coverage of the first morning commute on the new eastern span of the bay bridge. >> also, the biggest old bay bridge history that is getting new attention this

>> cell 7 technology is giving us a look at the new eastern span of the bay bridge and we are on the road, showing us what it is like to get to yerba buena island. how long did the trip take, dick, across the eastern span? >> it takes about 3 1/2 minutes. i have not officially timed it yet. i will on the next pass. i just get on at the yerba buena island eastbound on-ramp which is a very quick on-ramp. it is only one lane. it is quite narrow. you can see as soon as you get on the roads, you get up here to the single towers and it gives you the sense you are cradled in a huge spider web. the lighting is just spectacular aside from being not just freeway lighting it is designed by a theater lighting company so

it is very spectacular, all the cables are lit and it is very low glare lighting, very efficient lighting. very pleasurable expense driving over the span. open and free moving. >> lot of debate over the cost of having this tower and span when they first designed it but the folks on the east bay wanted something to define them in beauty and drama. looks like they have succeeded. >> we are uncovering history by wiping away dirt and soot checked over decades. you can make out the plaque commemorting the 1936 opening of the original bridge placed on the center anchor on the westbound fast lane on the western half of the bridge. the grass of bay bridge architect shares this photo of the dedication with abc7 news. he says the family got to enjoy

a great perk, riding the bridge without paying a toll. >> must be nice. >> how does the track look? leyla gulen? >> the rest of us have to pay the tolls. so far, so good, very clear conditions and around the bay area, still very early. we are not sighing a lost traffic. we do not see construction, either. that is good news because of the labor day holiday. in the north bay across highway 37 as you make it out of vallejo you are moving at top speeds and 101 headed into novato is not going to be a problem and mass transit is running along at full speed ahead. muni, bart, a.c. transit, and ace train, all in good shape. >> mike? >> we will take a look at what is going on as far as our forecast. we a few showers in the high country. the biggest thunderstorms have been around las vegas causing quite a bit of flooding.

you could have issues getting around that. as far as the forecast we are it will going to see a thunderstorm or two in the high country today especially around yosemite national park, 89. the winds are blowing out to the east and taking the smoke away from tahoe and today you are cloudy and 77 and near 90 in sacramento and 100 in fresno and 105 in palm spring and 87 in los angeles. kristen and eric? >> 11 years, more than $6 billion later, bay area commuters are finally driving the new eastern span of the bay bridge. >> we have coverage from the first morning commute of the new span. >> it has been three years since the deadly pipeline explosion and fire. we find out how san bruno is

>> live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. good morning. you are looking at the first morning commute across the new eastern span of the bay bridge. caltran has opened the bridge to traffic last night at 10:00, seven hours ahead of the schedule. moving well this morning. thanks positive joining us on this historic morning. >> those who take the bridge are happy it opened early. drives this morning, about to make the first rush hour trip across the new bay bridge. it opened last night seven hours ahead of schedule. abc7 news reporter amy hollyfield is at the toll plaza. finally, amy. >> good morning, eric. isn't it great? it feels like christmas morning a big fun present for the bay area. we are at the toll plaza. no problems here. no backup. cars are moving without any trouble. they are going on a