happening now, news chopper 2 live above the bay bridge. the toll takers are in place. the barricades are being lifted, and the first vehicle should be crossing the new eastern span at any moment. good evening, i'm gasia mikaelian. in for julie haener. >> i'm frank somerville live at the bay bridge. as you mention, gasia, any moment now, we're expecting the new bay bridge to open up. the toll takers are in place. the chp car is coming up now. i did speak with the chp officer 15 minutes ago, i asked

is there any kind of delay? he said no, it just takes a while to pick up all the cones. i'm guessing hopefully in the next couple of minutes, the new bay bridge will open up. it is a historic day in the bay area. you can see that empty toll plaza. the chp right now is conducting traffic breaks on ought the entrances to the bridge. caltrans is picking up the cones, as soon as those cones are picked up, they will allow cars to cross the bay bridge. it is a significant milestone in bay area history, as we are going to see cars cross for the first time on the $6.4 billion new eastern span of the bay bridge that took 11 years to build. eric rasmussen is in a car right along the way, waiting to cross the bridge. we want to join eric live now with what it's like from his take.

>> reporter: frank, we are ready to go. sea salted in, and ready to go. we're in the same position as dozens of other bikers and motorists out here tonight. at left check up, where you see the flood lights, they still have the barriers up. although chp and cal transit said we would be ready to go by 10:00 p.m. everyone out here, hoping to see what that new east span of the bay bridge is like. we in the news have had the opportunity, i know i did to get on the bridge and see it, but it is a different factor with regular drivers out there, trying to make their way to san francisco or out to treasure island perhaps. we want today experience what this first wave of traffic is going to be like. i've been talking to people in this line here tonight, talked to one man who said he was

involved in fire rescue. he feels sort of a personal connection to this new bay bridge, he said he wanted to be one of the first out there tonight, regardless of how late it opened. he tried to get his family to join him, and they said thanks, but no thanks. not everyone is in the same position, i found a mom with her two children. she saw the line, and thought it might be wise to wait out here. she's still been waiting here like many others. we are expecting a chance to get onto the new span of the bay bridge imminently. when we do, we have the capability to bring that to you live. in fact, we've also set up a number of cameras on our news van, so we can record from a number of angles, what that drive is going to be like. you can hear the engines from the motorcycles. when we get a chance to get on that bridge, we're going to bring it to you live and show you what it looks like, back to

you. >> reporter: i've driven across it twice now, i can tell you, it is absolutely spectacular. i've been out here all afternoon, prior to all of this, there was a big celebration. a lot of speakers. also at a quarter to 6:00 tonight, a caravan of vintage cars. it was really something to see as they went across the new span of the bay bridge. highway patrol officers guided the prosession through the toll plaza and onto the span, the cars were of every vintage, from the '30s, to the '40s, '50s, '60s, all the way to today's electric cars. some went to san francisco, others turned around at yorba island and went back. >> there was excitement to be sure, but also a big backup. there are also lingering doubts about the bridge's safety tonight. amber lee is live in the city with the frustration that came as a result of that opening

ceremony. >> reporter: we're at the 1st and harrison on ramp. you can see that crews and police officers on stand by, waiting for the word to be able to remove the barriers. any cars going through, have permission to get onto treasure island. let me show you what it looks like by this parking lot. these drivers are waiting patiently to be among the first to cross that bay bridge. the opening tonight, instead of tomorrow morning is being greeted with mixed reaction. >> that's a good thing. i'm actually traveling for work tomorrow, and going into oakland. it will be faster to come back without a lot of traffic. >> honestly, i'm a little bit scared about the bolt situation. i'm excited to see, it and drive over it, but also kind of nervous. >> i like it being close, because there's not as many

cars in the city. >> reporter: around 6:20 tonight, traffic came to a complete stop. for the next 40 minutes, even treasure island residents with special passes and muni passengers couldn't get on. he got out of a taxi because he couldn't afford to have the meter running. drivers stuck in traffic were irate. >> reporter: along market street in the financial district, people enjoying a quiet holiday in the city tell us a safer bay bridge has been a long time coming. >> it will be nice to see the new bridge. i'm curious to see it. i think it will be good for the city. >> reporter: when do you think you're going to get yourself on it? >> as soon as possible? >> reporter: one pleasanton man says he applauds caltran for getting the bridge reopened early, but says the new concern

now is will there be another b.a.r.t. strike? >> i wish the bay bridge people could get together with the b.a.r.t. people and tell them how he figured it out. >> reporter: he got another cab to go on t.i. the many commuters waiting for that to open anytime now. back here live, we can still see crews are waiting for word to reopen this ramp. i checked with the drivers waiting to be among the first, some tell me they've been waiting for two hours. amber lee, ktvu, channel 2 news. california governor jerry brown was an early critic of initial designs in the new eastern span, back when he was mayor of oakland, he said the original viaduct failed to deliver the world class design the bay deserves. but he was not on hand for the opening ceremonies. instead, as ken pritchett reports it was gavin newsom who took the lead. >> reporter: it was with a

torch that lieutenant governor gavin newsom cut the ceremonial chain. ingly hope that the progress that is being represented at this moment is for a generation to dream big dreams and to do big things. >> reporter: newsom was the keynote speaker at the gathering near the toll plaza of bridge workers and other state and local leaders. there was little talk of a bridge billions of dollars over budget or decades overdue. instead the focus was on a bridge that arrived in time. >> it has been completed before the arrival of our next big earthquake. and thank goodness for that. >> reporter: the new span of the bay bridge is to with stand earthquakes that the old span could not. >> that i, and everyone who uses this bridge will no longer have to be in fear of their life because we don't know when that next quake will happen. ♪ [ music ]

>> reporter: there was an emphasis on the positives, unlike with the depression era construction of the original span, no lives were lost in this project. as this bridge opens, some say there is reason to celebrate, but there is also reason to reflect, and look ahead to make sure similar megaprojects don't have similar problems. >> through upcoming public hearings in the california state senate we will review, and learn from our mistakes so that the escalation of costs that we've recently experienced does not repeat itself in future public works projects. >> reporter: so long after driving on this new bridge becomes routine, the questions about how it came to be will still be asked. in oakland, ken pritchett, ktvu, channel 2 news. one of our photographers got these pictures of a security sweep following that ceremony. checked out the to plaza just about 10 minutes after 7:00. they determined there was nothing to be concerned about.

the sweep was part of the final security check after the chain cutting ceremony, when dozens of people were milling about near those toll booths. frank, in some ways we expected the bridge to be open by now here at 10:00, you've learned why it's not open just yet. >> reporter: yeah, i just talked to a chp officer just about two minutes ago. they did a security sweep earlier. he said they had to do a second security sweep, because there was something unexpected on the bridge that they had to clear. i asked him what that was, he said honestly, i don't know what that was, but they're in the process of clearing it. as soon as the bridge is clear, they plan to open the bridge, that's the reason for the delay. we are probably just a couple of minutes away or so, from this new bay bridge opening. >> it's been a long day for you out there. what's been some of the most memorable things that stick you with tonight. >> reporter: well one of the most memorable things is just being able to stand in the

middle of the roadway. you never get a chance to do that. but really, the most memorable thing was when a chp officer took us across the bay bridge. when you get a chance to see it up close for the first time, it's really something. but i do have to tell you, i thought the view would be spectacular from the bridge as you go into san francisco. here's a hint folks, stay to the right. if you're in the far right hand lane, you're going to have a great view. but if you're in the middle, you really can't see much of the bay. what you can see, is when you turn the corner, you see this beautiful suspension power. on the way back, the view is spectacular as well, and it's going to get even better. >> stay to the right, as you said, it could be any minute now. >> reporter: actually, anything new? >> yes, actually, we'll be opening within moments. >> reporter: i just heard

they'll be opening within moments. >> i know amber lee is over in the city. she said frank, people have been lined up for two hours waiting to get on the bridge. >> reporter: yeah. what's that? okay, here's what he says, they're running a traffic break right in front of the toll plaza. here's the plan, the first cars that are coming across the bridge, they're going to be essentially escorted by the chp, they'll be in all five lanes as they go across for the first time. it should just be a matter of moments. i can imagine a lot of people have lined up, as we look overhead from the chopper, you can see something you don't see very often. a completely empty toll plaza, but momentarily that should change. one of the thicks that -- things that i think is going to be interesting is how many people decide to come out and see the bridge as it opens. will it be packed? we're going to be here, and

show you as soon as it happens. the new eastern span has been a long time coming. it's cost more than originally projected, and took longer to build. back in 1988, they figured it it would take just 4 years to build and cost $1.4 billion. it canaled up taking 11 year -- wound up taking 11 years and the cost is $6.4 billion. that works out to $2.9 billion per mile. there is still more work that needs to be done. in march, 32 bolts designed to safeguard the bridge cracked after they were tightened. that threatened to delay this labor day opening, but steel shims were installed to provide temporary stability. the permanent fix is supposed to be applied in december. the first cars from the general public crossing the bay bridge for the very first time after a closure that began on thursday evening, and the bridge is now

going to be opening earlier than planned. remember, the target time for this bay bridge opening was supposed to be tomorrow morning at 5:00. here we are. it appears that caltrans has beaten that deadline by about seven hours. we just spoke to frank somerville, live at the toll plaza. he caught a chp officer as he was walking by, and frank brought us the new line that the bridge is going to be opening any moment now. i believe this is a chp vehicle, escorting the first group of cars from like i said, the general public. who knows how long these people have been lined up, waiting to make their way across the new bay bridge. i know amber lee calling on the san francisco side of the bridge, said she was at a parking lot on the city side, and people have been waiting for two hours, hoping to be among the first to make it across the bay bridge. this is the first time we've been able to bring you this sight. a group of cars making their way across the new bay bridge for the very first time. frank, i'll bring you back in,

i'm sure where you are, it's going to be kind of weird to see cars crossing the toll plaza. it's been quiet for so many days. >> reporter: let me just say something as a warning to all drivers. the chp is going to have maximum enforcement out here. a lot of people might want to say, take a picture as they're driving with their cell phone. don't do that. the chp will give you a ticket. there are now side areas where you can pull off. on the old bay bridge, you couldn't pull over to the side. now you can. if you pull over and stop to take a picture, you will get a ticket, and it's a moving violation. it will add a point onto your driving record. here come the chp officers right now. let me get out of the frame here. there we go. looks like those are some of the first cars right there. >> look at that, frank, that is history in the making just feet

from where you are. we talked about this in our earlier newscast, but all the hundreds, or thousands of times we've each driven across that bridge, but we're in for a new unique experience once we get behind the wheel tonight. >> reporter: it is a totally new experience, and i had a chance to drive over it at night when the lights were on. it is spectacular when you see that suspension tower all lit up, it is just slightly beautiful. and in case you're wondering, the reason the new bay bridge is white, the architect did that for a reason. it's because it matches all the cranes at the port of oakland. they're all white. the new bay bridge is white as well. >> a lot of people watching. celebratory honks. a lot of thumbs up signals out the window, i'm guessing. >> reporter: yeah, officer have there been any problems? >> not so far. rolling breaks are established

as you can see. we're well establishing the speed limit nice and low. we're going to keep doing so until the bridge fills up with traffic adequately to keep the speed nice and low. >> reporter: is it going to be packed tonight? >> there should be a lot of cars coming through tonight. a lot of people were queued up before. after a while it's going to slow down. >> reporter: any word on what that security issue was? >> no. just a routine to make sure that the bridge is completely clear. make sure we go through all of the steps. >> reporter: thanks officer, appreciate it. there you hear it. a lot of people have been waiting to get onto this bay bridge. he said the traffic actually, there could be some traffic tonight as people get a chance to go across the bridge for the first time. pretty exciting here. this is actually history in the making, as we see from news chopper 2 going over the new bridge. i haven't seen any people coming in the opposite direction yet. although i imagine that we will see them soon enough.

i can tell you, one of the things, the bay bridge has always been this beautiful gateway to san francisco. here on the east bay side, we have the candelabra section. now what you have is a beautiful gateway into the east bay. as you come through the tunnel on this new bay bridge, once they tear down that candelabra section, you are going to have a spectacular view of the east bay. right now, the candelabra section essentially blocks one whole side. but it really is something, you get a chance to see the east bay. let me just tell you one our thing i did notice as i was going across. i didn't realize when i would drive on the lower deck of the bridge how secure i felt, because you have all the steel rods everywhere. on this new bay bridge, all you have essentially is something just like this right here. it's a little bit of a

different feeling. now granted, there's rebar in here and it is very secure, but it was something i noticed, as i was driven across. a little different feeling. not quite as secure as you felt in the cocoon of the candelabra section. >> it will be something new for us, once we get to take our first trip across. the bridge, the single layer design coming back over to the east bay, they're now next to each other, instead of one on top of the other, and that's considered seismically safer. the reason this bridge has been built, because of the earthquake. frank, i felt the earthquake and you were covering the aftermath of it. to what we have today, swy a brand new bridge, 20 plus years later. i know the dignitaries who spoke at the opening ceremony late this afternoon said this new bay bridge should be seen as a sign of the bay area's

resilience, and it's resolve. we'll let frank take in what's happening at the toll plaza. i know eric rasmussen was in a car. i hear the honks of other excited drivers, but you appear to be standing still. >> reporter: we don't want to be overly dramatic here, but you can really hear and feel the excitement out here at west grand. people honking their horns. the bikers up here are revving their engines waiting to go. i can tell you, i just looked out my windshield, and watched one of those caltrans workers kind of pumping up the crowd. from our perspective, it looks like they have not done that yet. i'm sharing this information, frank from the toll plaza who want these updates, but again, hold on a second, as i look out, a couple of caltrans workers are taking down those

barricades right now. we expect the folks lined up on the oakland side are ready to get on the bridge. take a look at that. there they go. we've got a big line of cars behind us. we will try to work our way in the line, and get on the span, and let you see it via our live cameras here. as we come back, we'll get it back to you again from west grand and maritime. the barricades are down. traffic is flowing onto the new bay bridge. >> we'll go let eric rasmussen inch forward, and see how long it takes him to make it across the 2.2 miles. frank, i know you've seen cars roll by where you are. eric rasmussen is still waiting, tell us if things have changed at the toll plaza. >> reporter: actually, we're kind of in a little bit of a lull right here. i was just talking to a chp officer a second ago, he said any moment now, cars are going to pass us going the other direction into the east bay.

there's a steady stream of cars, but there aren't that many, at least not yet. as you saw with eric, there are a lot of cars lined up, and it takes a little bit for all of them to start to come across. they're still picking up some of the cones. once they get all of those cones picked up, and all the cars start crossing, i imagine it will get at least a little busier than it is right now. i was going to say, i'm here on the east bay side. amber is on the other side. amber, what does it look like from over there? >> reporter: we're still in the holding pattern frank. all eyes are on these folks. these crews on stand by waiting for word to remove these barriers. i'm going to talk to one of these drivers that have been waiting patiently. jesse, what brings you out here tonight? >> trying to be a part of history right now, going across the new bay bridge. >> reporter: you've been patiently waiting. have you had to make all the

detours in the past few days? >> we've actually just got back into town. we wanted to drive across, but it didn't happen. now almost 10:25, hoping to go across it, and enjoy, the history of san francisco. to see the new bridge built again. >> reporter: did you plan to be out here, or spirit of the moment? >> spirit of the moment. i told her, let's go to dinner. now, let's try to go across the bridge. >> reporter: hopefully, it will be soon. thank you jesse. over here, we're still keeping an eye on the crews over here. we're told any minute, but it hasn't happened yet. as soon as it happens, we will of course bring it to you live. reporting live in san francisco, amber lee, ktvu, channel 2 news. nice, thank you amber. be sure to stay with user to continuing coverage. we're going to continue to check in on the bridge for live updates throughout the hour. at 10:30, what's being done to

avoid a crush of cyclists tomorrow in the bridge's path. and the man who has witnessed two bay bridge opening prosessions. he to cut school to watch the first one, 77 years ago. a double rainbow stretched across the sky in san ramon and dublin. a ktvu viewer shared this photo he took with his phone. i'm back right after the break. we'll talk about that chance for showers, as we go into the evening hours. then some changes in your bay area forecast. we'll see you back here in just a few minutes. >> a suspected drunk driver kills two women last night. their families say officers botched a chance to get him off the road.

♪[ music ] we're live back here at the bay bridge on a historic night here in the bay area. you see some of the first cars here crossing the new eastern span of the bay bridge. there is still a huge traffic jam on interstate 80 though in emeryville, and berkely. we're going to show you live pictures here from news chopper 2, give you some sense of the cars coming acrossment no cars have come across eastbound yet they're still holding them up. should be for another couple of minutes or so. then at that point, they'll allow the cars to come across the east bay. stay with ktvu obviously for continuing coverage here.

obviously, the first real test for the new bay bridge. that will be the morning commute tomorrow. live coverage, and traffic updates begin at 4:30 sharp with the morning news. a suspected drunk driver slips away from the highway patrol. moments later was involved in a deadly hit and run crash in san jose. debra villalon is live now with why officers say they never launched a pursue of that driver. >> reporter: gasia, he's a hit and run driver possibly drunk who caused two deaths. tonight, the victim's families came here to the spot. they brought flowers and candles. their grief is mixed with anger. >> it's not fair. it's not fair. >> reporter: families gathered where their loved ones lives ended. 63-year-old carmen zivala was giving a coworker a ride this morning. both food service workers at

san jose's airport. when zivala's vehicle was t boned by a mercedes, the driver got out and ran. >> turn yourself in please. do yourself a good deed, please. for my family's sake. >> reporter: it tears them up. the driver left the people who hit to die. and they're anguished to hear people saw this vehicle speeding and swerving. it sped off through a red light, and the officers chose not to chase. >> they felt at that time, that for safety reasons, the best decision was to not pursue the vehicle. >> reporter: those same officers happened upon the fatal crash a half mile away, two minutes later. >> none of this would have happened if they would have pulled this person over and did their job. my aunt would be here now. >> reporter: the officers felt city streets were too busy with light rail, hotels, food, and gas stations in the area.

at 3:00 a.m., lights and siren might have alerted other drivers. >> common sense, you see lights, you're going to pull over, you're going to stop. you're going to wait for the car to go by. it gives you warning. >> reporter: at this point, families are desperate for an arrest. they'll miss the women who were cherished wives, mothers, sisters. >> really good person. open hearted. she will take anybody in. she's got love for everybody. best mom in the world. >> reporter: as they search for the hit-and-run suspect, san jose police say the mercedes owner is a woman not involved in the crash. they're looking into who had access to her car. it was not reported stolen. reporting live, debra villalon, ktvu, channel 2 news. there were no union discussions between b.a.r.t. union members and management on

this labor day. >> reporter: the trains are running, but the clock is ticking. b.a.r.t. and its unions have used up 22 days of its 60 day cooling off period. union negotiators say nothing has been accomplished so far. >> the unions have made themselves available every single day. >> reporter: they spoke at today's picnic in alameda. they say only one of the three units has met. >> and they said that one meeting was brief and unproductive. today, leaders appealed to the governor. >> if you're going to issue an injunction on a sunday morning to cause a 60 day break, that he and his office put a lot more impetus into this. >> reporter: quote, we are eager to hear from the unions about our last offer, which has to date gone unanswered, but they may not hear much

agreement about that off, which includes a 10% raise over four years. the unions say it would increase health and retirement costs. it isn't a fair deal. >> there are members that will be in a deficit, if this contract, that they claim is a raise, goes forward. >> reporter: b.a.r.t. riders want it all settled somehow. >> the union and the officials need to have a compromise here. >> reporter: the cooling off period ends in 38 days, at midnight, october 10. in oakland, rob roth, ktvu, channel 2 news. back now to our coverage of the new bay area bridge, now open for bris, as of just a few day -- business as of just a few minutes ago. >> reporter: all right guys, i've got my eyes on the road, and hands on the wheel.

we have just gone through the toll booth and metering lights. we approach the new span of the bay bridge off in the distance. i can see it all lit up, and filled with cars at 10:30. we're driving over some of that fresh asphalt, in between the lines that they've recently painted. we got a chance to come out here last week, when the construction was still going on. to see it at night, to see it filled with cars is really an entirely different experience. i talked to a toll booth operator who is happy they are back in business. everyone seems to be behaving so far on the roadway. i had a couple people let me in when i was trying to change lanes. so that's a good sign. you see one vehicle up here. it looks like a traffic safety vehicle. it's not clear to me, if it is going to a particular vehicle in help. we have seen some people with their cell phones out, taking

pictures. that's something the chp is discouraging people from doing. but here we go. up on the east span of the new bay bridge. $6.4billion, and many, many years in the making. i can tell you right now, i'm going about 40 miles an hour. that's 10 miles under the speed limit, just to be safe. keeping an eye on the cars around me. everybody seems to be taking their time. no surprise that you might not encounter a lot of speeders out here tonight. everybody is trying to soak in the view. also taking frank's advice, we're trying to stay over to the right so we can get a little bit of the view of the bay. of course you can see the lights in san francisco awaiting us. but again, we are now just sort of starting to approach the tower and the suspension section of this bridge. as we've reported, this is the largest self-anchored suspension bridge in the world that you'll be seeing. so it is truly a feat of engineering. as we continue along here, light traffic, but a lot of cars again, waiting for this chance to say they were among

the first to get onto the bridge. of course, they will be among hundreds of thousands that make this trip on a daily basis, a as the statistics for the old bridge are any indication, this could be a very busy place to be come tomorrow morning when people are done with their labor day holiday, and heading back to work. no more detours. they're looking to get back to work and across the bay. and the photographer ryan has pointed out a view of the old east span. it still has some lights on it. for some reason with that old bridge being empty, it just kind of looks older than ever, especially in comparison to the bright white bridge that we have here and the l.e.d. lights that are illuminating it tonight. we're sort of coming around the bend here. you see the cable stretching down. i'm seeing more brake lights, as people begin to maybe stop a little bit and soak in the

view. of course, chp would like to keep everybody [ inaudible ] chp put off the warning, we've got a shoulder over here. if there was a disabled vehicle, or motorist that they could pull over here. they're encouraging everybody not to do that, if they're just trying to get a view. we're looking at an old classic car, just moving along slowly. maybe they saw we were looking at them, they just started moving. seeing all cars in the five lanes out here, making their way to yorba buena island, then of course make their way into san francisco. we heard they would be doing traffic breaks, as the night went on, after opening the new bridge. again, as we approach the tunnel, we will send it back to you. that has been a live first

look, if you didn't have a chance to do it tonight, what it's like to drive across the new bay bridge. back to you. >> reporter: eric, as we saw from your pictures it is absolutely spectacular, especially at night when it's all lit up. any moment now, we expect the first cars to pass through the toll booth area here heading eastbound. they've just opened up the bridge going into the eastbound direction. the cars should be going by momentarily. we've been talking about, obviously the beauty of this bridge. eric mentioned how when you drive next to the other section, it really looks old and tired. there's a lot of pride in the east bay. ktvu's jana katsuyama is here with that part of the story. >> reporter: frank, it is beautiful. we're here at emeryville. one man said he drove up from san jose, just so he could get

in this queue to go on that bridge. you can see the red and blue lights from the chp officers coming from the east side, bringing people over into the oakland side along the eastern span from san francisco and treasure island. you see them out there. now i have learned from bridge officials that the pedestrian and bicycle paths, they were not open tonight. they will be opening tomorrow at noon. and that is the first chance when people will be able to cross the bridge, either on foot, or on the bicycles. some people are just excited to have their own iconic structure on this side of the bridge. for decades in the bay area, the tale of two bridges has been a tale of two cities. san francisco's iconic golden gate bridge and sparkling bay bridge lights, and oakland's utilitarian part of the bridge, lacking luster. >> the bay bridge has always taken second billing to the golden gate. >> reporter: today that change.

attention shifted from the golden gate to the east and the opening of the new eastern span, with its gleaming white tower. >> i hope it brings more business to oakland. we want oakland to survive and thrive. >> a lot of people are coming over here for the restaurants. >> reporter: starting tomorrow, people will be able to walk and bicycle on the bridge pass, as far as the tower for now. nearly 1,000 have signed up for the public group ride leaving at 6:00 p.m. they plan to ride along the bay trial and back to emeryville. chp officers plan to monitor crowds and access. >> we'll likely meter the bikes as well. we want everyone to get on, but we just need to get on in a way that makes sense, just like the traffic. >> reporter: a bridge that could become more than just a passage between two points, emerging as on icon, a landmark

in its own right, and giving the east bay its chance to shine. >> we're so proud of oakland, the beauty it has. it can compete with san francisco anytime. >> reporter: if you do want to walk or bicycle across the bridge on the path, just don't start too late. bridge officials are telling me that they plan to close that path every night at sun down about 8:00 p.m. reporting live from emeryville, jana katsuyama, ktvu, channel 2 news. across the bay in san francisco, people have been waiting more than two hours to get on that span. amber, they've made some progress. >> reporter: absolutely. there was a lot of excitement out here. if you take a look now. you can see this onramp has been cleared of any barriers at exactly 10:32, traffic flowed right through. a cheer went up. lots of honking. still a steady line of cars waiting to get onto that bay bridge. people want to be part of history.

a lot of people tell me, they've waited for hours to get onto that bridge. a lot of people told me they were hoping for an early reopening. hoping it was going to reopen by tonight. they certainly got that wish. tomorrow morning's commute probably will be a lot better barks the bridge is -- because the bridge is now reopened again. a lot of relief, and a lot of excitement. reporting live in san francisco, amber lee, ktvu, channel 2 news. the new span has already made it to google maps. it's actual highlighted as part of the bay bridge and interstate 80. the bridge doesn't show the new span, but it is cleared as a recent bridge. taking down the old bridge is expected to take about three years. that's just about how long it took to build it back in 1936. it will be deconstructed piece by piece and the steel will be

recycled. the infamous s-curve, the last will be the foundation. history is being made tonight. the first drivers now on the new bay bridge. we're staying on top of this developing situation. what a pretty picture. stay with us. more when we come back.

president obama is convinced it's time to launch a strike against syria for its use of chemical weapons. today, he pushed forward, trying to convince congress and the american people. the administration's plans to punish the assad regime. >> george miller is skeptical. he told me he is deputily concerned about the united states being dragged into a new middle east conflict. >> reporter: rebel forces fighting to topple the syrian

president are counting down to intervention. >> i think it's too broad. i think it's too open ended. >> reporter: he said administration officials tried to sway house democrats to support military action, pledging that it would be a limited strike. miller says secretary of defense, chuck hagel, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, martin dempsey, led by secretary of state, john kerry outlined the horrors of the assad regime, and the risk of not taking action. >> they told us, that he's used small amounts of chemical weapon, they said nine or ten times previous to this. now he's used it on a large scale. sending a message to north korea, and iran and others that you can get away with it. >> reporter: miller isn't ready to back the president's plan, two republicans are ready for intervention. senators john mccain, and lindsey graham want a broader

strategy. >> i'm saying that the president, i think made sense in a lot of things he had to say, but we're a long way from achieving what i think would be a most effective strategy. >> congressman miller isn't sure there are enough votes to support action. citing the ghosts of recent wars. >> we saw one of those in iraq, an one of those in afghanistan. >> reporter: tomorrow, the white house will ramp up pressure. officials are to make the case for military intervention. heather holmes, ktvu, channel 2 news. >> reporter: back now live here at the bay bridge. the new bay bridge, which has just opened probably about say, 40 minutes or so ago. i want you to pan over here, and we can show you that there's a traffic backup. but this is kind of misleading. i've been speaking with a chp officer. what he tells me, is they're

running traffic breaks on this new bay bridge and they're doing that by design, because they want to slow people down on this first night. a lot of lanes merging into the five lane. they want to keep traffic going slow. so as you see, there is a traffic backup right now after they stop that break, maybe the traffic will thin out a little bit. but i've been watching i-80 from here. i-8 0 is completely backed up. there are still a lot of people waiting to cross this bridge. before the new eastern span opens to the public, there was a process of cars that went across the bridge. some very old, some very new. the pack was led by a bunch of chp officers on their motorcycles. noel walker got a chance to ride in one of the cars across the bridge. here's her report now on what it was like. >> reporter: before we speed into the future, we take a step

back in time. a time when cars had character, and so did the people who drove them. 94-year-old pete doweling has seen two bay bridge openings. he was invited to this one. >> cut school first. >> reporter: but a teenage pete crashed the party in 1936, right during the governor's speech. >> someone hollered, let's go. we broke threw the ribbon, and just hopped, skipped, and jumped onto the bridge. >> reporter: pete says they ran all the way to the yorba buena tunnel. they turned around. today, there was no turning back. we're driving on a new span of the bay bridge right now before the prosession. it's much more wide open opposed to that old span that felt much more claustrophobic. >> once you get on this bridge, it's going to be a new driving experience. there are going to be new views. >> reporter: stunning views of

the bay, and the 525-foot tower. a very different experience from the old bridge and from the days when there was no bridge. >> i get in the car, and they put the car on the ferry, then they ferry the car. >> reporter: today's presession of classic cars bridged the passage of time, and changing technology. now it's time to drive off somewhere over the rainbow. on the bay bridge, noel walker, ktvu, channel 2 news. >> reporter: what it was like today crossing the bridge on this historic day in the bay area as the new bay bridge has finally opened. i want to let you know, you can check ktvu.com for the latest on bridge conditions. we are constantly updating our web page, you'll find a complete section as well as cameras and drive traffic to keep you posted on the situation. ♪ [ music ] temperatures today were on the mild side. highs tomorrow a lot like

today. tomorrow, similar to today, but more sunshine. forget the cloud cover, we're going to see mostly sunny skies. santa rosa at 82. 83 at napa. numbers tomorrow about the same. here's what i've been tracking, as you look off in the eastern areas. you can see showers. we've had showers in livermore. showers in san jose, but it's been really light stuff. as i put it in motion, you see that line of showers. right there, a little thunder clap, or lightning bolt. as we go in the next few hours, still that outside chance for a slight sprinkle, maybe even a thunder shower. we begin to get into a situation, where we're going to start to stabilize, and start to warm up. this low pressure system is the reason for sort of the down, cooling down of the bay area weekend into today. tomorrow it's about the same. high pressure is trying to assert itself, as we get into

thursday, friday, and saturday, the high really asserts itself, and it's going to get hot around here. hot enough that the fire danger will become an issue. the forecast highs tomorrow, 81 in napa. 85 in fairfield. 86 in vacaville. 84 in pittsburgh, 84 walnut creek. 84 in danville. fire danger is always high this tile of year, not as bad as it could be and not as bad as it will be thursday, friday, saturday sunday. along the coast, there's patchy fog right now. a beautiful sunset tonight. rainbows off in the east bay. a little bit of fog at the coast. a stunning sunset the last couple of nights. the forecast then as we go into the next couple of days, tuesday and wednesday, is more of the same. mid-80s in the inland bay valleys. thursday, friday, and saturday, temperatures ratchet up. there's your five-day forecast with your bay area weekend in view. i know gasia, you grew up in

the bay area. it's sort of sad to see the old span of the bridge go away. i can remember my parents going across the thing in high school. >> a lot of us, our mouths were hanging open. we're going to check back in a few minutes. it is amazing. now we're getting sentimental here. let's bring in joe fonzi. on the oakland side, people have reason to be happy. not just for the bridge. >> here's what you want in addition to bridge, a baseball team in contention. they and the rangers played the first of three in the coliseum. the long ball has been heating up for oakland of late. more of that today. that's number 21 on the year for cespedes. the a's got two in the inning.

the rangers tied it up in the 5th, in the bottom of the inning, coco crisp went deep. now 7 in his last 12 games. the home run was disputed, but confirmed on replay. 4-2 the final, oakland moves into a tie with texas at the top of the division and are expecting more. >> i feel like tonight we're the best, and somebody else is going to be feeling like they are. sometimes that's what it takes, just that little bit of an edge. >> we've got a lot of work to do. another task at hand, we're coming in every day, the same, even keel, and hoping for a victory. for the giants these days, it's about trying to stay out of the cellar. this young man has a lineup tip for bruce bochy. you're starting the left hander? the padres got 3 runs in the inning. they went on to 4-2.

the padres and giants even at the bottom of the division. maybe this guy has ideas for tomorrow's game. it's been one of the biggest stories in raider camp. the quarterback who will apparently get the start in the opener. ♪

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rain slowed the proceedings today at the u.s. open tennis championships. the big story was how roger federer was put away. breezed in sets 2 and 3. match point, federer has no answer for his power. advancing rafael nadal, and

david herer. this is henrik stinson. he gets the birdie, and came from two streaks down to shoot a 66 and win by 2. he also takes over the lead in the fedex cup standings with two events to go. apparently today the decision has been made, according to the san francisco chronicle report, tonight, terrell pryor will get the starting nod against the colts. pryor had a better summer than matt flynn, nothing official yet announced by the raiders. time to vote on our high school football game of the week. oakland tech at pinel valley. vote for the game you want to see. go to ktvu.com, click on high school sports. we'll announce the winner on wednesday, then see you under the lights on friday night.

it's that time of the year again. >> friday night. let's head back out to eric rasmussen behind the wheel, driving that bay bridge. hi eric. >> reporter: gasia, you have good timing, take a look at what we're seeing here. we're headed east bound to oakland, and going under the suspension portion of this bridge. the 525-foot tall tower, is what we're passing right now. it might be night out, but it is lit up. you can see really well as you cross over the new bridge. this is really kind of an amazing experience to be among the first cars that are doing this. as i look out my window, i still see a steady stream of traffic from oakland, heading over into yorba linda or perhaps san francisco. the big difference is there is no lower deck, there's no upper deck. heading into oakland in the past, as i look over at the old bridge next to us to our right,

you would kind of be stuck in a cage. here, you kind of have the same views. this time we have views of the lights in the hills. traffic fairly light. but a good chance a lot of the folks are out here just for the experience of driving across the new span of the bay bridge on the first night that it's open. we'll finish our drive and send it back to you. people in the east bay wanted a spectacular bridge and they have it. it took 11 years to build. it went way over budget. costing $6.4 billion. five times the original estimate. there were all kinds of problems during the construction. but now the bridge is finally done. it is absolutely beautiful. san francisco has the golden gate bridge. san francisco has what up until now has been a beautiful part

of the bay bridge. now the east bay has its own, famous bridge. what is going to be a new landmark here in the bay area, the new eastern span of the bay bridge. you saw it from eric's pictures, it is absolutely spectacular, when you take a drive on that bridge, be careful, there are a lot of chp out here. stay to the right if you want to see the view of the bay from the new bridge. i'm frank somerville, reporting live, been out here all afternoon, it has been an incredible day. >> you did a great job bringing it to us. thank you frank. and thank you for choosing ktvu, channel 2 news. we'll see you the next time news breaks. the ktvu morning team will have the morning commute on this new bay bridge. they're here tomorrow from 4:30 until 9:00 a.m. always here for you on ktvu.com, on twitter, and your mobile device. have a great night.