i have your full forecast. it's thursday, august 29th as we take the live look outside in the south bay. this is "today in the bay." good morning to you. it is 6:00. i'm marla tellez in for jon khiel lee. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. having now, the hustle and bustle of the morning commute has been replaced with construction crews at the bay bridge toll plaza. the bridge shut down last night, and when it reopens, commuters will be driving on the new eastern span. >> construction crews moved in after 8:00 last night and will work around the clock for baefing and restriping the toll plaza to align with the new span come tuesday morning. until then, thousands of commuters have to find a different way to get to work. >> we have team coverage on your morning commute. mike inouye watching the traffic on the other bay area bridges,

but we begin with christie smith live at the west oakland b.a.r.t. station. >> reporter: very busy. the b.a.r.t. spokesperson says they probably won't know until about 11:00 this morning how many extra riders they have this morning. it seems very busy to us. we often come here to talk to people in the morning. i have to tell you we saw the parking lot filling up pretty fast this morning. a b.a.r.t. spokesperson telling me they're also seeing a lot of first-time riders coming in this morning, people who have never ridden b.a.r.t. are asking things like how much the tickets cost and exactly how to get around. this is the first day that riders are facing a day without the bay bridge as the final work begins on the new eastern span. i just spoke with one rider this morning who is from pittsburgh. he says that he bypassed the bay point b.a.r.t. station and came straight in to west oakland. >> today it was around probably 4:30 when i left. i live in pittsburg.

usually i leave around 6:30. it's a two-hour difference. i wanted to make sure i got to work on time. >> the b.a.r.t. spokesperson tells me, i asked if they could add more trains. he said they're maxed out as far as trains. what they are doing is running their trains at maximum length. you'll see a lot of the ten-car trains. he says on a normal day they would run those in the morning and evening commute and taper back during?cp midday. but he said because of the closure at the bay bridge, they'll run those longer trains all day long. back here live, i wanted to show you, this is the b.a.r.t. parking lot at west oakland. a lot of folks telling us they chose this station because it does have the big parking lot and a lot of choices. again, we saw it filling up quite early this morning. reporting live in west oakland, christie smith, "today in the bay." >> now let's turn things over to mike inouye with a quick check of the commute across other bridges. >> that's right. crossing the bay is the issue.

we have had a labor day closure for the bay bridge, but not starting on thursday. thursday that's an unusual extended closure. we have the flow of traffic toward the san mateo bridge. i've seen it all morning, a visible change in the amount of cars. we're looking at your westbound compute. the sign on the light warning us about the bay bridge closure. we know about that, i hope you do. look on the foster city side, as you approach the peninsula, we much more vividly see the amount of traffic off the high-rise. a big volume change over the last few minutes. as we see more traffic bursting over the high-rise and heading toward the 101 interchange as well. 101 starting to get a little congested. as we look at the maps, we'll see traffic flow across the san mateo bridge is heavier. we're getting toward where you would consider a slower drive. 6:00, we don't usually see this morning. the dumbarton bridge, both directions slower folks between basically east palo alto and san mateo between fremont and

hayward. choosing the dumbarton bridge as an alternate. that is a little less publicized. we're talking about it now. sorry guys. a smooth drive toward the golden gate bridge which is your northbound alternate. we'll look at the bridget self as we talk about the traffic flow. look at those two northbound lanes, flashing lights. no incidents on the span. as you travel north or south between the richmond-san rafael bridge and the golden gate bridge, expect a heavier flow of traffic. areas between the waldo tunnel and the city itself, that's a concern, a big congestion point. tonight big delays getting out of the city. back to you. >> you can also travel by water. just into our newsroom, video of the first ferry arriving at jack done done square to take passengers to san francisco. the ferry not too packed. our photographer on the scene telling us about 50 passengers loaded up to take the ride. the san francisco bay ferry sagged three extra boats to accommodate extra passengers. later this morning we'll find out what will happen to the old eastern span of the bay

bridge. the metropolitan transportation commission will hold a news conference to outline the demolition process. it's expected to take about three years to dismantle the old span. the new span is expected to last 150 years. for much more on the bay bridge closure, head to nbcbayarea.com. we've got a link on the top left-hand corner of our home page for our bay bridge closure guide. inside you'll find traffic maps, transit alternatives as well as a look at our bay bridge camera. you can get traffic alerts sent directly to you. it's 6:05. it might be tougher to get that egg mcmuffin this morning. that's because a nationwide fast food workers strike is under way. here in the bay area workers are getting ready to join the picket line. "today in the bay's" arturo santiago is live in oakland where mcdonald's employees will begin their strike in less than a half hour. arturo, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it is still quiet here.

but we are expecting all that to change in about half an hour. as you said, this is where east bay fast food workers are scheduled to go on strike on the 2500 block of east 12th street in oakland. that's supposed to happen at around 6:30 this morning. they are not going to be alone. this is part of an unprecedented strike that's taking place in 35 cities across the country. the strikers want $15 an hour in wages, regular schedules, benefits and the right to form a union without retaliation. they're also calling for an end to what they call unfair labor practices. median workers make just over $8.00 an hour. according to the national restaurant association, only 5% of restaurant employees earn the minimum wage. those that do are predominantly working part time and half are teen ablers. >> it's so important because these are people that has family, that have kids, they need to support their kids and

family. other people like me, i want to go back to school. i can't go back to school on what i'm making because i have to pay rent and other situations. it's kind of hard. >> the fastest growing industry in the city is retail and fast food workers. it's a race to the bottom because they cannot survive on minimum wage and jobs that unfortunately are a race to the bottom. >> reporter: the strike is -- sorry about that, the b.a.r.t. train is passing by. the strike isn't just affecting fast food chains. it also involves retail outlets such as macy's, sears and dollar tree. now, keep in mind many of the jobs that have been added since the recession have been in this $200 billion fast food sector. live in oakland, still waiting for the picket lines to start. i'm arturo santiago, "today in the bay." 6:07. firefighters slowly gaining ground on the massive rim fire burning in yosemite this morning. the wildfire more than 192,000

acres. that's roughly the size of new york city. 30% contained, more than 5500 structures are still threatened, including thousands of home. evacuation orders remain in place. the rim fire has already destroyed 111 buildings. they're really having a tough time trying to contain that fire. >> in terms of the air quality, i know a lot of people want to head to tahoe and reno because of the holiday weekend, except air quality is going down the tubes because of all the flames out there. christina loren, i know you have more on that. >> yeah, good morning, ladies. i know somebody who is actually having a wedding in lake tahoe over the course of the weekend. they're going to go on with that wedding. let me give you perspective. as you can see where the smoke plume is. currently the fire is larger than san jose, milpitas, kuper teen teen know, los gatos

combined. the smoke plume is mostly impacting south lake tahoe. if you want to get up there, you'll find much better conditions. this is what we're working with in terms of air quality. we just got the latest on the rim fire. 30% contained overnight. hopefully another update over the course of the next hour and a half. we'll bring that information to you as soon as possible. now, we do have unhealthy air quality for reno and lake tahoe. that means if you're in the casinos in reno, once you go outdoors it won't be much better in terms of the air quality. what i have to tell you is right off the bat we're expecting the smoke to stay for the next four days. here in the bay area, it's going to be beautiful. good to moderate air quality here. we'll give you alternatives to where you can take the family safely. that's coming up in the next report. 63 in livermore, 63 for oakland. you're at a comfortable 62 in san francisco. heading towards the 70s later today. at the coast, upper 50s in some of the coastal cities that don't get out of the fog. i'm looking at that for pacifica.

around the barks 83 for you. 90 degrees inland. a lot of people, heightened interest when it comes to the morning commute and the bay bridge closure. let's get to the man who knows what's going on. >> bay bridge, still closed. back to -- no. you can see the crews moving back and forth. that's exciting. we haven't actually seen activity until the closure last night. that's the kufr that's going to replace that is, curve. this is a more gentle curve and both directions are at one level. there you have it in the foreground as you head over toward treasure island for the oakland side. the closure of then bridge unti tuesday morning, still on schedule. has all these folks slowing as they approach because lane closures mean you lose lanes approaching the maze. west 80 from the top of the screen and west 580 towards the left. north 880 starting to bog down by the volume of traffic as folks head to the area. that is a concern, even if you aren't planning on taking the

bay bridge, you have delays toward the maze. a wider look looks nice. this is not too bad if you can stay away from the bay bridge and the maze. if you're using the san mateo bridge as an alternate, we see slowing out of san leandro toward hayward and the san mateo bridge. a smooth drive. we have issues, once you get on to 92, there's a crash reported at the toll plaza involving three vehicles. added problems as you head across there. a live look outside and we'll see how things are shaping up for the south bay, that area not a problem and not affected by the bay bridge closure. this is 101 at 680 starting to show the second build for a thursday. 6:11. coming up, the u.s. is considering military action against syria. is a missile strike imminent. why the u.n. is urging countries to wait before taking action. wall street is facing a

three-daybreak. business news just ahead. a new environmentally friendly way to travel on the peninsula.

welcome back. 569:14. a live look at the san mateo bridge. this is one of your alternate routes. while the bay bridge is closed, you can see traffic is certainly picking up. we also have a look at the golden gate bridge. if you're affected by the bay bridge closure, you're forced to figure out a different way to get around for the next five days. that's why we have mike inouye watching your drive this morning. he'll have an update in just a few minutes. 6:14. other stories we're following this morning. thousands of fast food workers across the country are walking off the job this morning. they say they want better pay and the right to form unions. oakland fast food workers are planning to join the strike at

6:30. officials from san francisco to san jose are launching a new bike sharing program today. the program requires a membership. u.n. inspectors continue their work in syria this morning investigating the site of last week's alleged chemical weapons attack. the team is expected to wrap up its investigation tomorrow. u.n. secretary general ban ki moon says no one should take action against syria until inspectors deliver their report this evening. it's 6:15. three days of no trading with possible air strikes right in the middle. >> that's exactly right. we're hearing u.n. weapons inspectors won't be leighing the country until saturday. air strikes possibly coming after that. investors would have to wait three days until the markets are back open. oil prices continue to rise on the worry of an angry middle east. iran has promised action against

israel. the israeli president tweeting israel will respond if attacked. 7-eleven's investment arm and sysco have invested more than $10 million in the startedstarteup wants to use the customer loyalty cards. belly would let you use one card for many stores. they encourage stores to offer more than just the buy ten, get the 11th free and offer something unusual instead. here is belly's founder. you can earn standard rewards. you can name a cupcake after yourself, smash a cupcake in the owner's face or win a date with one of the cupcake girls, supervised. >> it's up to the store to decide what the rewards are. 7-elevens in the chicago area, laura and marla, will let you

name the next flavor of slurpee. >> let's check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. we were talking about how warm it is as we stepped out the door. look at the temperatures now. just received word we have flight delays out of sfo to the tune of 1:20. a lot of people trying to get out of town, a higher volume than usual because of the labor day weekend. now we have those delays. we'll keep you updated on the situation. the good news is the fog is not going to linger as long as it did yesterday. as a result temperatures will creep up just a touch. 63 degrees in gilroy. take you to the beach. this is where you'll get the best of the best for today. 67 in santa cruz. right around 76 degrees in the heat of the day. comfortable conditions there. we've been telling you about the air quality issues for tahoe and

reno. the best place to be there weekend over the course of the next four days is going to be as close to the coast as you can get. if you're looking for good air quality and the north bay coast just spectacular conditions over the weekend. highs in the 50s, low in the 60s, even warmer down in big sir. highs in the 70s, lows in the 50s. lots of sunshine. beautiful beach conditions persist. everything you normally associate with labor day you'll be able to do as we get into that holiday weekend. in fact, it's going to be comfortal inland: i'm not going to waste one more second of your time. let's get to mike inouye. >> i don't mean to contradict you. everything you plan to do except for passing the bay bridge. a little secret about how we spend our spare time. that's not true. the bridget self is still closed. that is true. look at this jam. west 80 toward the berkeley curve. i wanted to point this out. you see the flashing lights closing you off. you can't take it over toward

the bay bridge. off the berkeley curve, jammed all the way back down here. it starts right here. this is the denny's over at powell as you're making the overcrossing and the shell station on the other side. that's where you start to lose lanes. that's why we have this big backup for westbound 880 toward the berkeley curve and continuing for some folks down to oakland. let's look at the maps. this is what we're talking about. this jam right here is why it's slowing. in fact, from university, speeds start to dip. you'll start hitting the brakes down toward powell, gets the worst of it. if you head toward 880 a smooth i drive. north 880 a good deal of slowing over the last half hour. that has sorted itself out. folks are now adjusting. a lot of folks through the maze, looks like a lytle volume overall. folks have prepared and made alternate plans, perhaps taking b.a.r.t., christie smith says we don't have any delays reported. the bay bridge is closed.

it will continue to stay closed until possibly tuesday morning at 5:00 a.m. looks like everything is on schedule. we have this jack south 880 in toward hayward. as the heavier volume combines with folks off the castro valley y and head toward the san mateo bridge as one of your alternates. an earlier crash at the toll plaza involving three vehicles. it sounds like it's still affecting your second lane. that will be an added issue over the bay and toward the san mateo bridge westbound which has finally smoothed out. heavier volume there, early morning across the dumbarton bridge. expect a little delay and allow extra time even if you're close to the bridges. northbound 101 with typical slowing north of 680 toward 880. the south bay looks like the volume is a little lighter. a lot of folks planning on getting out of town as we approach the labor day weekend. we'll end with the north bay. if you use the richmond-san rafael bridge, you're concerned with 101. hoor are the curves as terra

linda. >> looks good there at least. still ahead on "today in the bay," oracle team usa in the hot seat. why the sailing team could be forced to for get some of its titles. a live look at the closed bay bridge. sort of an odd sight. >> still pretty. >> it's gorgeous. >> i love it. >> always nice to look at. >> i'm sentimental. >> we'll see the new eastern span when it's all said and done, finished tuesday by 5:00 a.m. mike is checking the morning commute. the very latest on our website at any time. nbcbayarea.com. it's 6:21.

good morning to you. a live look outside. look at the traffic building up on the san mateo bridge this morning. bay bridge certainly closed. you must have heard by now. people finding a lot of alternates to work this morning including taking b.a.r.t., riding ferries. everyone is getting an earlier start as well. 6:24 right now. 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 last year and earlier this year. team oracle has already been ordered to return the trophies it won from those races. in an e-mail to the jury the team's ceo said he had no knowledge of the alleged modifications and they were apparently made by a small

number of team members acting on their own. this morning's hearing is closed to the public. to the excitement of many, college football season kicks off tonight. san jose state spartans will play sacramento state at 7:00 tonight at spartan stadium. quarterback david faels back with the steam after leading the spartans to an 11-2 record and a military bowl win. san jose state part of a new conference, joined the mountain west conference. san jose city councilman ash kalra introduce add proposal to ban sodas, certain juices, whole milk at city properties and events. councilman kalra says the move was intended to promote healthier die et cetera in san jose. san francisco zoo welcoming its latest guest, a come mow dough dragon.

the naming ceremony for this dragon from the knoxville zoo will start at 11:00 a.m. to celebrate the young dragon's public debut, the zoo will host a komodo carnival. >> i say carl, carl the komodo. >> still ahead, the latest on the chemical weapons investigation going on in syria, what president obama is saying about a possible military strike and why some in washington are saying it might not be enough. we're certainly keeping an eye on the bay bridge construction project this morning. this is the toll plaza usually we see backed up. just backed up up with construction crews as they try to get things under way to work on the new eastern span. mike has a live traffic update 5

construction crews working throughout the night on the bay bridge as they realign the toll plaza for the new eastern span. we are watching your commute alternatives. plus president obama talks syria. what he's saying about a possible military strike next. here we go. a live look at the new york stock exchange. the guys from wells fargo. better-than-expected news may help counter worries about syria. today is thursday as we watch them rirng in the bell. august 29th. this is "today in the bay." good thursday morning to you. thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon.

>> i'm marla tellez in for jon kelley. happening now the regular stream of cars at the bay bridge toll plaza gives way to construction vehicles as we give you a live look. the bridge is closed until tuesday morning, you might have heard, as crews repave and restripe the road to connect the toll plaza to the new eastern span. meantime commuters have to find other ways to get to work. our cameras are at the west oakland b.a.r.t. station where trains have already started 24-hour service. lines also building at the ferry terminal at jack london square this morning. extra ferry service has been added while the bridge is closed. we'll get a check of your morning commute options coming up in just a few minutes. right now in oakland, fast food workers are officially on strike. workers called off the job just a few minutes ago to join a nationwide protest. they're calling for better pay, regular schedules, benefits and the right to form a union. arturo santiago is in oakland this morning talking to protesters. we'll get an update from him in

about 15 minutes. to the latest on the syrian conflict. the u.s. military says it is ready to act. president obama has not made a decision about where to carry out a missile strike. the u.s. is confident president bashar al assad is responsible for the chemical attack that killed hundreds. danielle lee is live with the overnight developments. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we're just now learning that seetary of defense chuck hagel is weighing in. he's shedding a little bit more light on exactly what a u.s. response would look like, saying that any attack by the u.s. would be an international collaboration. this is all while president obama says he has not made any definitive decision as to whether or not the u.s. will take action. that said, the administration is definitely making the case for an attack in response to last week's chemical attack in syria. later today congressional

leaders will be briefed via teleconference. president obama saying international consequences have to be made because of the actions taken last week. meanwhile a key ally in all of this, britain is holding a special parliamentary session today. they of course want to wait until the u.n. investigation is complete, want to wait until they see that report into what took place last week and that team is expected to leave saturday. that does give us a sense of timeline on when we could see any action, possibly escalate. the pentagon says it has its team ready in case they do decide to move forward. russia does not support an attack by the u.n., the u.s. iran is threatening to retaliate against israel if the u.s. responds, comparing it to a second vietnam. live in washington, danielle lee, back to you. >> thanks so much. protesters will take to the

streets today in san francisco to call on the u.s. to not take military action against syria. they'll march on pal and market streets. 6:33. we'll call/÷ on meteorologist christina loren with a look at the forecast. a nice week. >> it really has. not too hot, not too cool. gorgeous beach conditions, speaking of which. a look high atop san bruno overlooking the bay. what a pretty start to the day. you can see the low clouds firmly in place. we have the flight delays, told you about those at sfo. right now at about 1:20. 62 in san francisco now that the sun is up. we'll start to see the fog clear pretty rapidly. i'm expecting the flight delays to be lifted as the fog lifts by about 9:00 a.m. we'll keep you updated throughout the "today" show. we're on time out of every major airport across the nation. nice and mild. 63 in livermore, 63 for gilroy, at 65 degrees to kickoff the day in san jose. temperatures are going to be a

little bit warm inland. 90 degrees. if you do have the day off, maybe you want to hit the mall, lots of good sales. let me give you that heads up for labor day. 83 bay side at the coast. 70 degrees. if you're getting ready to get that motor running, head out on the highway. mike knows what could slow you down. >> that's right. that's going to slow you down. look at this shot right here. i'm going to reach over here in the area. we have media crews, our crew included there, just got word chp is going to take our photographer out there and show her exactly what's been done. we'll have the pictures as soon as they get sent back to the studio. you can see all the work that begins at the bay bridge toll plaza as we continue to show you another shot of the effects of the closure. that's west 80 jamming up from powell, from university to powell as it crosses underneath interstate 80. we have speeds cranking down as folks approach that closure. the map will show the same

thing, this time reversed because north is at the top of the map. it slows through that area. ashby avenue itself looking smooth. that's good because cal berkeley started full session today. a lot of students and faculty in the area as well. the maze not so bad. you have slowing north 880 out of downtown oakland as well as west 580. here is south 880, slow from out of oakland past the coliseum all the way towards the san mateo bridge. the earlier crash still has activity in that area. west 92 toward the foster city side with a slow drive as well. we'll end with the map noting at the bottom of highway 84 at the dumbarton bridge, that's a good drive right now. you might want to consider that. >> we'll take the good news where we can get it. thanks, mike. 6:35. this morning sunnyvale police are warning women who tend to walk alone at night to leave their jewelry at home. police say there's been an uptick in so-called necklace grabbing robberies including three this week near ponderosa

park. the victims were all women walking alone with vasable chain around sthar neck. police say the sam man is likely responsible for most of those attacks. so far no arrests and luckily all the victims were not hurt. this morning a menlo park officer is in the hospital after he was hurt during a violent struggle with an alleged gunman. officers are trying to arrest the suspect on willow road last night. the man resisted. during the chaos one officer was hurt. he was taken to stanford hospital where he's in stable condition this morning. meanwhile witnesses say the suspect shot another man during a fight earlier in the night. that victim is expected to be okay. the suspect was arrested for attempted murder. 6:36. still ahead, an active love or a crime. a kentucky man in jail for fulfilling what he says was his wife's dieing wish. >> a missing persons case from southern california signed more than 3,000 miles away. how investigators identified the

remains of a missing woman.

welcome back. a live look at the golden gate bridge. the bay bridge is closed as you know. but, of course, the golden gate is not. can't see the towers because of all that fog. christina loren is taking a look at that forecast today. balmy conditions for most of the bay area. right now it's 6:39. a human skull found in panama has been positively identified as that of a missing southern california woman.

dna testing confirmed the remains found last week are that of 42-year-old drevon bardeli. she was living in panama with her boyfriend. he's in jail charged with obstruction of justice, accused of trying to cover up her death by sending e-mails from her laptop. it's still not clear how she died. a kentucky man is behind bars after shooting and killing his wife because he claims she asked him to end her suffering. deputies say 48-year-old ernest chumbly shot his wife, virginia, at their kentucky home yesterday and then called 911. chumbly says it was her final wish to put her out of her ms. tri because she had been fighting breast cancer for several years. chumbly who faces murder charges says the only form court he has is that he granted her last wish. a judge in montana has apologized for place placing blame on a 14-year-old rape

victim who later committed suicide. the judge said the teen had as much control over the situation as the teacher who raped her. the judge made the comments monday when he sentenced the teacher to 30 days in prison. after backlash over his comments, the judge issued a statement saying his comments were, quote, demeaning of all women. there are calls for the judge to resign, but he says he has no plans to step down. people in the bay area will get a chance to weigh in on a controversial plan to remove invasive mice from the fairlawn islands. the u.s. fish and wildlife service says the only way to get rid of the mice without jeopardizing the island's ecosystem is to drop poison pellets on the island from a helicopter. dozens of methods have been examined. wildlife experts say the mice population is knocking the island's ecosystem out of balance. tonight's meeting starts at 6:00 in fort mason in san francisco. 6:41 in the morning. coming up, the first morning commute during the bay bridge

closure. >> how the closure is affecting bart this morning and what options you have for the upcoming weekend. mass transit one of your options. here mass traffic across the san mateo bridge. an earlier crash also complicated things. we'll give you the update and give you a look at those speed sensors to see how they're a little different today. taking a live look. it's a ghost town on the bay bridge this morning. very common to see those low clouds. we've got flight delays. you are oh so close to that labor day weekend. i'll have your full forecast and let you know the best spots to hit across the bay area when "today in the bay" comes right back. >> that's a remarkable picture. a look at wall street and john mcafee works his way back in the news all ahead.

6:44. happening now, the bay bridge toll plaza bustling this morning with construction vehicles. the bridge shut down last night and when it reopens, commuters will be driving on the new eastern span. >> construction crews moved in just after 8:00 last night and will work around the clock, repaving and restriping the toll plaza to align with the new span come tuesday morning. until then, thousands of commuters will have to find a different way to get to work. >> we have team coverage on your commute. mike inouye watching traffic on other bay area bridges. but we begin with christie smith. she's live at the west oakland b.a.r.t. station that has been a pretty big hub of activity. >> reporter: good morning, laura. we've been at the west oakland b.a.r.t. station for a couple hours now. this is the kind of place we normally come to to talk to people and we normally don't see it this busy. no hard numbers out yet from b.a.r.t. they won't have that until 10:00 or 11:00 on ridership.

riders say they would normally drive, but with the bridge out, they got up one to two hours early to make sure they would get to work in san francisco on time.:kyíqq!"%jju we looked at morning, not completely wall-to-wall commuters, but they certainly are full. that could be because b.a.r.t. is running longer trains. all the ten car trains they have available are working this morning. 285,000 commuters use the bay bridge each day. that's a lot of ground to make up. ferries, ac transit,chz÷ b.a.r. boosting service to help out. one woman in emeryville who normally drives into the city tells me how long she's been at it just to get to b.a.r.t. today. >> about an hour, yeah. >> and why did you pick west oakland? >> it's the closest one to the city. i figured it would save me a little time to just come over here and get over there quickly i guess. >> how is it going to far? >> it's good. it would be hard to do regularly, but i can get it together for one or two days.

>> reporter: ac transit's trance bay bus lines are offering drop-off and pickup where we are. macarthur b.a.r.t., north, berkeley and the coliseum stations. b.a.r.t. telling us normally they would run these ten-car trains through morning commute and the evening commute and cut back midday. they say during the bay bridge closure, they're going to run these longer trains throughout the duration. reporting live in west oakland, christie smith, "today in the bay." >> moments ago a chp officer took our news crew for an up close and personal look at the overnight construction. we've got a wider look right now of what they're looking at. that's the toll plaza where we usually see it all backed up with so many commuters waiting to pay their tolls. right now you see all the construction crews out there trying to get everything back on track for tuesday morning's opening. >> this means all the other bridges are a little busier today. let's check in with mike. how is it looking on your end? >> we saw very early slowdowns

around the bay bridge and all the other bridges across the bay that were ought nats. we'll talk about them in a second. we've seen things calm down a bit. here is the shift that happens. christie talked to the person from berkley and emeryville going through the oakland station. consider the other stations around the area because there's also the north berkeley station which might help out, a little eetzier here. because the traffic is backed up, you don't want to deal with this. this is the eastshore freeway. west 80 is jammed up off university toward ashby. you see as folks are shifting to the left, you're losing a lane at powell. that's affecting travel flow down to the berkeley curve. a big backup on our maps. we see it's slowing all the way down from university toward the berkeley curve. slow off 580, slow off north 880 as well as the folks are passing by the maze and through the maze itself. that bay bridge still closed as we talked about. no delays reported for that construction project. we don't have changes to the timeline. that's good news. tuesday morning is when it's set to reopen.

we have these folks, the shift kicked in early and is still hanging out for south 880 out of san leandro past 238 and to the san mateo bridge. 92 has been a popular alternate this morning. we are looking at a smooth drive across 92. that slower drive is kicking in for the sensors. it hit just before 6:00 and now just before 7:00. from time to time i've seen both east and westbound directions of highway 84, a little slower than we'd like. it's a smooth drive on either side of the bay. slow from hayward into union city as well. as we look toward the tri-valley, we see a pretty typical build. watch 680 with slowing through sunol. not affected by the closure of the bay bridge. although these b.a.r.t. lines will get more crowded toward the maze. a live look shows you the golden gate bridge. an alternate if you stake the northern route. i talked to my friend lance who came across about 4:30 in the morning.

it was clear then. watch the fog that's an issue if you're not used to dealing with it on the north side of the bay. >> for much more on the bay bridge closure, go to our website, nbcbayarea.com. you'll see a link on the top left-hand corner pour the bay bridge closure guide. inside you'll find traffic maps, transit alternates as well as a live look from our bay bridge camera. you can also sign up to receive traffic alerts sent directly to you. 6:50. we continue to follow developments on the rim fire. since last night's update, cal firp says the fire burning in yosemite has burned by 300 acres, charred almost 193,000 acres, roughly the size of new york city. while firefighters have the fire 35% contained, more than 5500 structures are still threatened. more than 4800 firefighters are working around the close just to try to contain those flames.

they've had a rough go on that one. >> really affecting air quality in and around the area. let's check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning, marla and laura. good morning to you at home. tahoe a popular weekend spot, but particularly for labor day weekend. let me give you perspective on what's happening to the air quality in both reno and tahoe. we are expecting unhealthy levels of air quality -- trying to get my clicker to work here. let me switch clickers for a moment. there we go. the magic of live television. we're expecting unhealthy air quality in the area as we head through the next four days. you want to keep that in mind now. you're not going to see very dramatic results in terms of your health unless you do suffer from asthma or respiratory issues. i would say limit your outdoor activity up there as much as possible and count on seeing a lot of smoke, a lot of helicopters, planes overhead as firefighters are battling the blaze. here in the bay area, you might

want to plan a staycation. it's going to be absolutely perfect. 6:51. gorgeous start to the day here. this is from high atop san bruno mountain. you can see above the clouds here, a beautiful day. we still have flight delays at about 1:20. fog actually clears from the top down now that the sun is out. we're expecting it to rapidly clear up. do count on a little drizzle as we make your way over the golden gate bridge if you're headed that way. here is san jose with the low clouds all the way inland. you will notice this will keep our temperatures in the low 80s here in san jose. out can't beat that. smoke is going to stay in the tahoe basin though for the next four days. you want to keep that in mind. the best place to get out, if you've got to get away, is going to be at the immediate coast. we'll have west early flow. 63 in livermore, 65 in san jose to kickoff a thursday. so close to the all-important weekend at this point. temperatures are going to be comfortable. we'll see a drop-off. 8:00 a.m., still mostly cloudy

conditions from livermore through san jose, up and down the peninsula. by noon all that low cloud cover vanishes. a lot of sunshine today, great beach day as a result. we'll hit about 76 degrees at 4:00 p.m. with a lot of sunshine coming in. 90 in livermore. we could be in the triple digits this time of year. that's not going to be the case. we are headed towards a cooldown. here we go. temperatures staying nice and comfortable as we head through saturday and sunday. mid 80s headed our way. we'll see the low 80s for labor day. good barbecue weather, good shopping weather. tuesday into wednesday starting to creep back up. what i can tell you is i'm looking at all the long range data. it doesn't look like we're going to see a very hot start to september. the first 15 days actually looking pretty cool. back to you, laura and marla. >> thank you so much. 6:53. a special tribute is plachbd today for the danville teenager who tragically died the day before his start as a senior in

high school. 17-year-old robert orlando's friends and classmates are sharing memories of that teen. orlando was killed monday night when the car he was in crashed into a tree. the cause of that crash is still under investigation. but officers do not suspect drugs or alcohol played a role. a veteran police dog in the south bay is recovering this morning after being bitten by a mail. this cell phone video shows a knife wielding man in a confrontation with deputies monday night. at one point the authorities say the man stabbed himself in the chest three times. that's when deputies released the dog named ski. here is a look at ski. deputies says he punched, choked and bit the german shepherd before they were able to wrestle him to the ground. good news, ski suffered a couple of scraped paws and will be back to work soon. the man who authorities say was on drugs at the time is

recovering in the hospital. ready to roll. this morning getting around parts of the bay area without a car about to get easier. a $7 million bike sharing program officially gets rolling today. 700 bikes available to rent at 70 stations across san francisco, redwood city, palo alto, mountain view and san jose. you can pick up the bike or drop one off at any station, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. all you have to use is an electronic code. you do need a membership. they'rergy available for $88 a year. $22 for three days or $9.00 just for the day if you want to check it out. better news this morning about jobs helping to offset worry about syria on the stock markets. >> scott mcgrew checks your money. >> we've got the weekly jobless claims which were far less than we did expect. the second look at gdp as well. the economy recovering a little better than we expected. generally good news that has the dow industrials up 33 points, the nasdaq up 21, despite the fears of a three-day weekend and

the air strikes on syria causing fierce on wall street. john mcafee posted another video no, he says, he did not kill his neighbor. yes he lived with seven girlfriends, he says and then this. >> about the only question i didn't receive is where did i bury the body of jimmy hoffa. it absolutely is not in the parking lot of mcafee corporate headquarters, really. >> that headquarters, by the way, in santa clara. mcafee does his particularly peculiar videos in front of a green screen, marla and laura. he says he'll release the raw footage of him in front of the green screen in the next few days so internet users can remix his videos with any background they choose. >> all i can think of is snow white and the seven dwarfs. >> he said he never lived with all seven at the same time. some of them were off trying to

kill him at the time. seven girlfriends total. >> so he's a bachelor. >> i guess so. >> green bay packers receivers james jones is not forgetting his roots. you may recall yesterday we told you some members of the gunderson high school junior varsity football team would not be able to play this year because the team did not have enough equipment to go around. jones, an alum of the san jose high school and san jose state immediately stepped in to help. he has donated 15 helmets to the program. gunderson's head coach says the team still does need pads and jerseys for all the ploirs, but he certainly does appreciate the donation. >> i knew someone from the bay area would step up. always a great cause. >> giving spirit. good day to run the sprints. let's check in with meteorologist christina loren. >> the earlier, the better. good morning. we're starting out in the 60s. plenty of low cloud cover to go around. the clouds serving as a blanket.

trapping in warmth from yesterday. 64 in san jose, 63 in gilroy and 62 degrees right now in san francisco. i just want to let you know, fall is just a few weeks away. that autumnal equinox begins september 22nd. living here in the bay area, if you have for any duration of time, it gets pretty chilly pretty quickly. so enjoy a summer afternoon inland. 90 degrees today. bay side around 83 degrees at the coast. 70 degrees. we have flight delays out of sfo. we'll see a high volume at the local airports. a lot of people heading out of town. we'll keep checking on delays every 15 minutes. we'll show you the seven day throughout the "today" show. an update on the drive with mike. >> the bay bridge still on schedule for what we understand. we hope to have the new footage of the construction they've been doing overnight. still working very hard. this is affecting your drive. a live look outside shows big slowing down the eastshore freeway west 80 toward the berkeley close.

you're losing lanes starting way back at powell. the backup starts approaching the area out of richmond through berkeley around university avenue where you're starting to hit the brakes. you see the slower drive here, but the rest of the maze moves pretty smoothly. north 880 slows approaching the maze. south 880 is the big problem, jamming um early and continuing toward hayward and across the san mateo bridge which is the most popular alternate. consider the dumbarton bridge if that's easy to use. 84 a little clearer. a live look at the foster city side of the san mateo bridge, big heavy flow westbound toward 101. 101 likely to get more congestion heading into the city. fim check of the day's top stories. keeping an eye on the fast food strike of oakland workers this morning joining a nationwide protest. workers walking off the job at mcdonald's in oakland about a half hour ago. they say they want better pay and benefits and the right to form unions. how about a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. construction crews are busy

working there. as you know, the span is shut down for tuesday. we appreciate you being with us this morning. back at 7:26 with our first local news update. >> have a great morning. good morning. breaking news overnight. escalating tension over possible u.s. military action in syria. now russia is moving warships to the region as top members of congress meet with white house officials today to hear proof that attacks would be justified. sleepless in america. a new study reveals millions of americans are relying on prescription sleeping pills. why one expert calls it an epidemic. and "today" exclusive -- mike tyson gets honest with matt about his latest battles with addiction, thoughts of suicide, and the demons that still haunt him. >> i need help. i need help real bad. i won't survive if i don't get help. >> matt's candid and revealing conversation with the former heavyweight champ today. thursday, august 29th,