this bridge is closed, and in just a few days the newbridge will be open. >> a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. it's packed but not with the kind of traffic you'd expect to see. construction crews working around the clock to get the new eastern span ready. good morning to you. 4:30. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> good morning. i'm marla tellez in for jon kelley. let's give you another look at the bay bridge toll plaza. crews are creating a new roadway between the toll plaza and the eastern span of the bay bridge. we'll get an update on how the work is going at 6:00 a.m. meantime, mike inouye is watching your kroeds. christie smith is at the macarthur b.a.r.t. station where riders are bracing for packed train cars this morning. good morning, christie.

>> reporter: good morning, marla. we're at the macarthur b.a.r.t. station, one of the b.a.r.t. stations open 24 hours. they say there are a lot of first-time riders, a lot of people asking where are the trains are, where do they get on, they don't know the routine. he's been helping a lot of people out. i'll step aside. he says it's been steady, not too busy. but expects it to pick up very soon. also consider that ac transit can't cross the bridge either. those buses can drop passengers off at b.a.r.t. as well. the five-day bay bridge closure started right on time with the fim work to connect the eastern span to connect oakland and buena island. buses, ferries, b.a.r.t. with extra service, they're finally coming into play. >> just plan for it. expect there's going to be

crowds. >> our department changed our working hours to 4:00 a.m. to accommodate the delay. >> reporter: transportation leaders of course are saying get an early start. that's your best bet. they're saying you should probably at about one to two hours to your commute. i wanted to show you back here live, this is what the station agent gave me to kind of explain what's going on with the buses and the parking. the b.a.r.t. looks a little confusing to me. what they have going on here is the parking lot is under construction so there isn't a whole lot of parking. they're just trying to help people get around, trying to help people understand it. kind of quiet right now. he expects to pick up in the next 30 minutes or so. live in oakland, christie smith, "today in the bay." >> san francisco bay ferry adding three additional boats starting at 6:00 this morning. >> bay area roads are expected to be packed as people look for

other ways to get into the city. >> mike inouye is certainly watching the roads this morning. how is it looking? >> so far we have what looks like at the san mateo bridge hef very volume of traffic. as we take this westbound and even eastbound, typically we see about half as many leets on the bridge. i don't have an official count. it's a volume estimate. as we look at the peninsula side, also off the bridge at foster city. look at the thick stream of headlights off the high-rise toward 101. it looks like the volume is heavier than typical. this is really one of your only popular routes across the bridge because the bay bridge is closed as you said. here is the golden gate bridge, traveling northbound, a good number of cars as well. you have to wait for a car or two going across the bridge. more folks using the golden gate bridge towards the richmond san rafael bridge as well. a little later this morning we'll find out what will happen to the old eastern span.

the metropolitan transportation commission will hold a news conference to outline the demolition process. it will take about three years to completely dismantle the span. there are a lot of differences between the old and the new one, the most highly touted, the new span's safety and ability to withstand an earthquake. it's expected to have better lighting. when the bridge reopens, the decks will be side by side with great views of the bay. the new span is expected to have a life span of 150 years. for more on the bay bridge closure, go to nbcbayarea.com. you'll see a link on the top left-hand corner for our bay bridge closure guide. inside you'll find traffic maps as well as our live bay bridge camera. you can also receive traffic alerts sent directly to you. it's 4:34. firefighters slowly gaining ground on the massive rhyme fire in yosemite this morning. the wildfire more than 192,000

acres. that's roughly the size of new york city. while firefighters have the fire 30% contained, more than 5,500 structures are still threatened, including thousands of homes. evacuation orders remain in place for some camp sites in yosemite as well as tuolumne city. the rim fire destroyed 111 buildings including 11 homes. more than 4500 firefighters are working around the clock. president obama is evaluating how the u.s. will respond to syria's alleged use of chemical weapons. united nations secretary general ban ki moon is urging the president to weighed on any possible military action until his team of inspectors issues their report. this is new video of the inspectors leaving their hotel in damascus this morning. they've spent two days this week taking samples and interviewing survivors in the damascus suburbs where syrian activists say hundreds were killed in last

week's attacks. president obama says he is sure the syrian government is behind the attacks and has signaled he could act without backing from america's allies or the u.n. he says he wants to send a strong signal to syrian president bashar al assad. leaders around the world are in closed-door talks. british cabinet numbers are in session to talk about the issue. iran's president has reportedly contacted russian president vladimir putin to talk about what military action could cause in the region. about 6,000 are headed to neighbors lebanon while israelis are scrambling for gas masks. here at home protesters will take to the streets today in san francisco to call on the u.s. to not take military action against syria. they will march on powell and the market streets. run, hide defend.

that's the new plan if someone opens fire on a school campus or anyplace where children are present. police chiefs from departments across the county spent the past several months developing the new active shooter safety protocol. today more than 450 people including representatives from dozens of schools and the children's discovery museum as well as community leaders will be trained on what to do if they encounter someone firing a gun. fast food workers in oakland will walk off the job this morning as part of a nationwide strike. similar protests are going on right now in new york city in boston. the workers are calling for better pay, better schedules and benefits and the right to form a union. right now fast food employees in california make as little as $8.00 and want $15.00. workers say that would allow them to take care of their

families without counting on food stamps. santa clara county's largest union will continue voting on tentative feel reached with the county. seiu local 521 is voting on the proposed deal through tonight. last week they staged a demonstration outside county headquarters. they're protesting the current contract. workers planned to go on a three-day strike next week. voting result also be available tomorrow night. balmy. that's what i'm going to say describe this morning's temperatures. it felt very warm when i left my house this morning. meteorologist christina loren, am i crazy or am i right on sm. >> you are right on as per usual, marla. good morning to you and laura. good thursday morning or friday eve as we like to call it around here, especially when you consider three-day weekend right around the corner. not for mike inouye. he is going to be a busy man

tracking that bay bridge closure. 63 degrees to kickoff the day in livermore. 64 in san jose and even up in wine country we have the 60s all across the board. surn any vale just four degrees away from 70 to start the day. it's going to be another warm summer afternoon, one of our final summer afternoons. the countdown to fall is on. we're at about 20 days counting to the kickoff of fall. enjoy 79 degrees at lunchtime. in livermore 74 degrees at noon in fremont, 76 in san jose. rounding out the day in the low 80s at the south end of the bay, 88 degrees for gilroy, 83 for santa teresa. meanwhile 90s on the map for livermore and fairfield. what a beautiful day in the city by the bay. 69 degrees in santa. tahoe getting a lot of smoke for the rim fire. we'll talk about alternative plans if you want to head outdoors this holiday weekend. first let's check the drive as promised. here is mike. >> christina is going to give

you tahoe alternates because of the fire and smoke. interstate 80 is still open heading to the area. over here this is interstate 80. that's the bay bridge. closed between san francisco and oakland. you might have heard the rumors. we're looking at the well-lit new span that will be open hopefully at the latest tuesday morning at 5:00 a.m. still on schedule for that. construction going on at the toll plaza as well. look at the crews. we do have the lights at the toll plaza. you cannot use the bay bridge. we'll look at the maps. the approach looks very smooth right now. you see the bridge is redded out, that means it's a closed roadway. you'll have to travel north towards the richmond-san rafael bridge or even the dumbarton bridge. if you typically take the san mateo bridge, consider highway 4 to the south because that will be a little less traveled. in the north bay, san rafael as we travel south toward the richmond-san rafael bridge, a smooth drive. back to you. >> thanks so much.

4:40. ready to roll this morning getting around parts of the bay area without a car is about to get a little easier. a $7 million bike sharing program officially kicks off today. palo alto, mountain view and san jose. you can pick up a bike or drop one off at any station 24 hours a day, seven days a week using an electronic code but you do need to buy a member. they're available for $88 a year. how about $22 for three days or $9.00 for the day. >> i think that's a great program. >> get pumping. it's 4:41. help has arrived. the nfl player that pulled out his checkbook to help a high school football team. we have video of a south bay man attacking a police dog.

welcome back everyone. it's 4:44. investigators are looking into how a san mateo man drowned over the weekend. 42-year-old kenneth compo fell

into the water friday afternoon while paddle boarding. a rental company employee pulled him from 20 feet under water. he was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. the paddle board was ooi equipped with a life jacket and foot leash but he was wearing neither. students and staff at san ramon valley and several other nearby high schools will wear green today to remember 17-year-old robert orlando. tributes are being posted on twitter as many of his friends and classmates share their memories of him. he was killed monday night when the car he was in crashed into a tree. the cause is under investigation, but officers do not suspect drugs or alcohol played a role. green bay packers receivers james jones not forgetting his roots. you'll recall yesterday we told you about some members of the gunner son junior varsity plan.

they wouldn't be able to play this year because the team didn't have enough to go around. jones is an alum of the san jose high school and san jose state. he stepped in to help. donating 15 helmets to the program. the coach says the team still needs pads and jerseys, but the donation is very much appreciated. jackie deangelis is live at cnbc world headquarters with details on the markets. >> the futures actually higher this morning after stocks ended a three-day skid with marginal gains on wednesday. as you said, investors continuing to focus on the growing possibility of a u.s.-led military strike on syria. it was energy stocks that led the market higher as the price of oil rose to its highest level in more than two years, above $1:10 a barrel. we have been watching crude prices, easing a bit this

morning. meantime asian markets rebounded overnight as well. yurm is steady today. some of these jitters over an immediate action against syria easing a bit. economic data is on the front burner today. look for reports on unemployment and gdp which could show the knee grew more than previously thought this spring. the dow rising to close at 14,824. the nasdaq adding 14 to 3593. meantime good news for gamers. nintendo cutting the price on its wii you game console to compete with the xbox 1 and play station 4 that go on sale in november. nintendo announcing the 2ds just in time for the holidays, a lower resolution of the company's popular 3ds system. it will play both ds and 3 ds games in 2d. >> how far it has come since the days of super mario brothers.

it was so simple back then. >> even further. remember pong? >> yeah. >> these dots a little reminiscent. >> let's check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. a warmer start to our day. >> good morning to you, laura and marla. happy thursday to you at home. want to start with this live picture of the golden gate bridge. a little foggy for now, completely socked in with fog as we head through the next couple hours. the good news is we're starting out nice and mild out there. no need for the jacket and our summer days are now numbered. so get on out there if you can. 64 degrees in san jose. 64 in gilroy and 63 in santa cruz where it's going to be really comfortable later today. let's talk about your labor day plans. we're still watching the smoke traveling 200 miles plus from the rim fire in the tahoe area. so for today it is going to be in the unhealthy range which is bad news if you do have kids or you, yourself, suffer from respiratory issues or asthma. noft the best place to take the kids.

tahoe experience won't be the same. you'll see numerous helicopters and planes overhead fighting the fire. we have better places for you to go around the bay area. i'm suggesting big sir. the smoke will stay for the next four days in the lake tahoe basin. the central coast is the best place to be. big sir, 70s as heys, lows in the 50s. beautiful sunshiney afternoons. 69 degrees in san francisco. you can get by with pants, maybe a sweater to start the day. in livermore, if i were you, i'd go right to the short shreves, cotton, something breathable. 81 degrees in san jose. so here it is. your holiday weekend forecast, hopefully you have the day off. as we get into saturday and sunday, temperatures are going to drop off. labor day looks perfect, even for your outdoor barbecue in places like livermore, in the mid to low 80s.

tuesday, enjoy. we're looking good for wednesday, right around seasonal averages, back to you marla and laura. tonight the public will weigh in on a controversial plan to remove invasive mice from the fairlawn islands. the u.s. fish and wildlife department says the only way to get rid of the mice is to drop poisoned pellets on the island from a helicopter. dozens of methods were examined. but the report found poisoned pellets were the best option. tonight's meeting starts at 6:00 at fort mason in san francisco. a veteran police dog is recovering this morning after being bitten by a man. you heard that right. this cell phone video shows a man in a confrontation with police on monday night. at one point authorities say the man stabbed himself three times.

that's when deputies released ski. deputies say he bunched, choked and bit ski. he suffered just a couple of scraped paws and will back to work soon. the man who authorities say was on drugs at the hospital is recovering at the hospital. 4:51. union city police have a sketch of the snake scam suspect. they say this woman told the 70-year-old woman that she worked for the city. while the victim was in the back yard, an accomplice came in and stole her july. she's 30s to 40s with a nose ring, lip ring and tongue piercing. it is 4:51. how about this? are you ready for football? college football season starts today. >> hard to believe it's here.

local america's got talent stars that will perform special shows for the bay area fans this week. this is the eastshore freeway as cal berkeley gets started on its full session today. a lot of traffic in berkeley and going down the eastshore freeway, things will be different as you avoid the bay bridge. that's still closed. we'll give you an update on the alternates coming up.

how about a trip to milwaukee as we give you a look

at what's happening outside this mcdonald's. fast food workers are going on strike today, part of a nationwide strike where fast food workers are walking off the job demanding better pay. it's happening in the bay area as well, specifically oakland. we'll have a live report from arturo santiago in about ten minutes from now. 4:55. officials with oracle team usa will defend themselves in front of an international panel this morning. team officials are accused of illegally modifying boats used during exhibition races earlier this year. team oracle has been ordered to return the trophies it won from those races. the team ceo said in an e-mail to the jury he had no knowledge to the alleged modifications and were apparently made by a small member of team members acting on their own. this morning's hearing is closed to the public. they swam therapy way onto america's got talent. now the walnut creek aqua nuts plan for their fall show.

the aqua nuts will perform nightly shows tomorrow, saturday and sunday. so great. the team of eight girls ranging in age from 16 to 19 competed on nbc's talent show last month and made it through to the elimination rounds in las vegas before being eliminated. college football season officially kicks off in the south bay. san jose state spartans play sacramento state. quarterback david fails back with the team after leading the spartans to an 11-2 record last season and military bowl win. they joined the mountain west conference over the summer. >> that time of year again. mike inouye, what's going on in the roads? >> it's that time when the bay bridge closes. this is the berkeley curve. you see the sign routing folks to the bay bridge, they're not allowed to go there. the maze moves smoothly. there is that reroute, some folks heading south towards 880.

a look at the nimitz freeway. a good look at traffic heading south towards the san mateo bridge. no delays reported for b.a.r.t.'s extended service. they adjusted those stops on either side of the bay as well. >> busy morning out there, thanks, mike. a police officer in the hospital this morning after he was hurt in a struggle with an alleged gunman. what police are telling people in one normally quiet south bay city after a dramatic increase in strong armed robberies.

new this morning, it's the first commute without the bay bridge for the five-day closure. i'm christie smith. we'll show you how b.a.r.t. riders are handling it, coming up in a live report. we'll also show you the roads, your alternates as you cross the bay and what you should avoid. good morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. temperatures are nice and mild

all across the board. we have a warm day today, a warm day tomorrow and a cooler holiday weekend. i'll show you how that looks on your seven-day outlook. fast food workers in the east bay are ready to hit the pickett lines as part of a nationwide strike. i'm arturo santiago live in oakland. i'll have details on this coming up. we'll have live looks outside this morning. this is a look at the morning commute, 101 in the south bay. keeping tabs on that big bay bridge shutdown as well. it's thursday, august 29. this is "today in the bay." good morning to you and thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> good morning. i'm marla tellez in for jon kelley. we're in the midst of a total shutdown of the bay bridge toll plaza. a lot of action going on right now, but not the kind of traffic we're used to seeing. construction crews are working around the clock