and caltran is here. they have to repair the center divider. the sig-alert is in effect until further notice. as we look at drive time traffic, tracy to dublin over the a pass is 23 minutes and highway four is clear and 101 through san rafael to san francisco is 16-minute commute. at 680 from pleasant hill to walnut creek you can see traffic is moving smoothly and only going to take you eight minutes to make it in that southbound direction. eric and kristen? >> you heard mike say the bay area is weighing up to another round and hopefully the final round of bitter cold. caltran workers started checking for black ice last hour hoping to spot areas before the ice forms. officials tried to sand down stretches where the temperatures drop into the low 30's. >> we try to cover it for abrasiveness but not too much so that a motorcycle goes down. >> officials say when there is a freeze want they sand the roads headed up to the observatory on mount hamilton which school buses and emergency vehicles use and positions of highway nine and 35 in santa clara

caltrans for insuring that every procedure that would be deployed was put in during the process but most of all i'd like to thank the workers from all the trades that worked hard, utilizing their you training and sack fixing time from their family. on this labor day we can find no finer contribute than to be standing here in the presence of this bridge with pride and dignity >> thank you. >> i'll read off some of the list the iron workers local 377 and 78 the operating engineering and the local 34 are the carpenter local 22. the labors 2 61 the cement masonry and i b w locals. all right. brothers. with that i'd like to introduce want and ceo of american bridge joint venture and mike i do thank you for taking care of of our workers (clapping) >> this is a tiff act to fellow thank god i'm not last. good afternoon it's a pleasure to be here. the bridge is kind of like my little girl. before i started on this job i moved here from the east coast and it's changed my lifelike many of you. the bridge itself build a lot of partnerships. the bridge facilitator the unique marriage of partners not

new tonight the fix for those broken bay bridge bolts a lawmaker vows to root out incompetence at caltrans. >> good evening, i'm dan ashley. >> i'm cheryl jennings new conflict between bart and unions. >> yes. looks like one step forward, two steps back. the new president of the bart board talking tough tonight. abc7 news is live at bart head quarters to explain what happened now. laura? >> well, hi, dan. after a difficult year, everyone close to bart is hoping for a new beginning with the election of a new president this morning. that new president is in, but the acrimony continues. >> he called a war on employes and unions. i believe bart unions are just the beginning. it's wisconsin all over again. >> mr. president, it's unanimous >> within minutes joel keller fired a shot at unions a plan to pursue a ballot measure banning public transit strikes.. >> i got here 19 years ago if someone put that before the board boy have said not no, but hell no. but after 19 years i've come to the conclusion our riders deserve better than what is happened in the last six months. >> i'm just so discourag

: caltrans says drivers need not be nervous going over the eastern span of the bay bridge. though say it's permanently earthquake proof. the new eastern span of the bay bridge has what caltrans is calling a permanent fix. >> it is a unique complex problem that commanded a unique solution. >> reporter: 32 of 96 galvanized steel rods brittle to the point of cracking. by 11 a.m. today, all of those shims gone. replaced by the beefier saddle. >> what the saddle fix does is hold down the base of the seismic devices and a combination of steel tendons provides the clamping force that those bolts were supposed to provide. >> reporter: these are the saddles. they bring the bridge up to code. the price tag, san jose mega millions winner could afford it. $25 million. more than double the initial $10 million estimate. >> this was not something you can go to home depot and ask them where they keep their steel saddles. >> reporter: those steel saddles need to be covered by protective paint to protect them from the sea air. and there is the question of some of these 700 other bolts and ro

caltran is sending out a truck to cough -- cover that up. this r.v. is cleared since 3:00 this morning and you will find traffic easing your way northbound through the pleasanton area with no problems with mass transit and everyone is on time and san rafael, the drive from novato is good as you drive southbound which is good to the golden gate bridge. >> breaking overnight a truck with radioactive material is hijacked in mexico and the all out search for it right now. >> new details in the death of paul walker and a good deed the fat nasa star made before his fiery car crash. >> hot east presses, the magazine that went digital only is now getting ready for print come back. before the first sneeze... lu season is back. help prevent with a spray. and use lysol hand soap... for 10x more protection with each wash. this season, help protect your family with lysol. start healthing to those who've encountered welcome to covered california. new, affordable health plans so you can be ready for whatever comes your way. enroll today at coveredca.com. >>> coverin

people taking caltran or the bus this morning if downtown san jose are bundled up. some are trying to stay warm in the lobby before headed out to the platforms and a woman just

caltran plows were on standby in kiss more snow fell. we have more from example soggia. >> by 8:30 -- from >> caltran culled out the plows and warned drivers of slippery roads at the summit. four miles down in the heart of calistoga, the evening was peperd with bound pours. it was an awful trip to get anywhere. the locals say the wet blast is unusual. >> i can pretty much get through the entire winter without turning on my heat and i went home and turned the heat on so we are miserable. >> some people from chicago got a taste of the city we just left. >> it was supposed to be our wedding anniversary, and we're we are in bed, just like chicago. >> to get out of the 39-degree cold, some pokes jumped into 100 had degrees water in the calistoga spa hot springs. >> you can get cold when you step out and hot when you get back in and it's really good for you. >> walking back boo the cold is the hard part. abc7 news. >> check out there caltran's image. 101 north of wiling ton has been shut down due to snow and traffic collisions. this picture, a

why caltrans says all the problems are a thing of the past. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, were right. >>> punk rock ] ♪[ music ] >> remember that? bay area punk rockers maybe they were right. more than 30 years later the dead kennedy song about jerry brown may turn out to be true after all. there is some growing speculation our governor will run for president and maybe the fourth time will be the charm. who knows? brown ran in 1976, tried town seat president carter in 1980. and he came up short again in 1992. >> in a debate with hillary clinton, he is -- jerry brown is not beholden to anyone. >> lord knows all the unions and other financial backers will put whatever money he wants in a presidential account and so maybe he gives it a try. >> brown is 75. he has yet to announce whether he will seek re-election as governor. but he has been raising some money for a possible campaign. >>> first lady linda ronstadt in you guys remember that? the new eastern span of the bay bridge looks the same this morning but looks can be deceiving as andria borba reports. those bad bolts are now fixed. >> reporter: sh

. >> after a boot ride, caltrans look a look at the water for the new bay bridge >> the device in the middle here is where broken bolts were >> only twie fix them is putting clamps from the out siechld now they're in place. >> if there is a major event now, these devices, they'd work as they're supposed to work. >> in a major earthquake the bridge needs to be able to wiggle. these devices here are are what keeps a bridge from wiggling too much. so while fixing this, they stuck shims in to make sure the bridge didn't wiggle more than it's supposed tochlt now, replacing bolts, shims have come out. now, all that is left are holes. and the saddles just like bolts before them are now mostly in place with concrete. >> this is concrete blister. inside is a -- quite a bit of rebar. >> one politician wants to make sure nobody covers up the root of the problem. >> just spent $25 million because someone allowed this to happen. tell ming someone should be held accountable. >> the state senator has launched an investigation. he's looking into allegations the bolts were mishand yeld, and allowed to

within weeks caltrans was granted the go head. help me to join in recognizing jerry. stand up (clapping) >> in closing my father worked on this bridge as carpeters 22. my parents were here to celebrate the opening in 1936. the bridge cost 77 million the program was $0.25. in the program you'll find some interesting statistics by one strange point is when the bookends war paid off the bridge was supposed to be free so i'm assuming it has not been paid off. the earthquake in 1939 is it shouldn't have taken that long to go forward on projects. let's be more coffin responsive to the public's needs as in 1936. thank you and enjoy your new bridge (clapping) >> don't worry we're in the home stretch only 27 speakers to go. i want to acknowledge more folks in the audience. there are 3 that former chairs who still you serve on the commission. (calling names). we picked the design (clapping) >> i'm going to ask you all to stand up later. we picked the design when jim was chair and i don't think he's going to forgive me. two former or 3 folks deserve special recognize. (calling n

. >>> they are trying to end caltrans -- to try to end their battle with royal. >>> and speeds are goingup to 100 miles per hour and they have several east bay cities. >>> the ntsb has almost 12 hours of testimony at fso and we have new video showing the moment of impact. >>> believe it or not another spare the air alert, ktvu channel 2 morning news continues. >>> this is ktvu channel 2 morning news. >>> thank you and welcome back, thank you for joining us, we are outside in oakland this morning because that is where bart and most will be meeting and we have tom out there getting the information about this contentious issue that will be discussed today and we will check in with tom in just a moment. thursday december 12, i am tom cook. >> what is that about? >> let's check weather and music steve is there. >> that was an accident. >> just go with it. oop sunshine, breezy for some, it is cold for the north bay, maybe cooler slight westerly breeze and they extended the weekend and on the computer models, it is warm and dry, still cold and we have been looking around, confined plenty of the

. >>> cal strand -- caltrans makes a return and it is decade rated and will -- decorated and will stop misses clause will be there collecting toy donations. he starts the journey saturday and sunday. >>> some say their children have been banned from wishing each other a merry christmas. they sent home rules for the winter holiday. but some say it is a new rule. >> why can't it be a christmas party and politically correct, that has to go too far. he does not plan to change the rules for the holiday party. >>> a possible kidnapping in milpitas, police are hoping a surveillance video will help crash this case . in develop nearby, we will tell you who -- venetia, we will tell you who help had to save the victims lives in that fire. >>> and 280 traffic looks good, but nearby there is a crash involving a big-rig. >>> if you live in the heights, i have seen temperatures from 31 to 34 degrees, and the low snow levels, i should have details on all. i love watching tv outside. and why can you move the tv out here? the wireless receiver. i got that when i switched to u-verse. but why? because it'

malcolm i believe we missed one caltrans director. i've worked with 8 of them and i'm counting on 8 of them. randy, randy here (clapping) and my two predecessors are here thank you both for being here (clapping) >>. now for those of you who haven't been living in a cave we've had some trouble with bolts. and about 15 of those television cameras caught it. the meeting have been tough by the necessary. the last one in july was the toughest yet. at the end of the morning we were ready for some cocktails and a something really magical happened >> i'd like to call about this lady. >> i want to come before you in 17989 the earthquake collapsed the eastern section of the bay bridge. as the bridge nearsighted completion a one 14 inch trowel was attached to the bridge now the trowel knows it's been completed what will happen tlafrp. could the problem be that the trowel knows about this what will happen to our creature a sign of our strengthen who kept us from harm's way. let's save the trowel. thank you >> thank you (clapping) and a oh, guys h

abc7 news. >> check out this caltran's image. this picture also from caltrans is west of willits on highway 20. in the sierra chains are required at 3200 feet on highway i-80. and there is a storm in the lake tahoe region. there was also damage to produce. the four winds growers have the most damage. they wereins lited in a protection covering but the cold still got to them. part of your plans like orange trees were not affected. this morning much of the u.s. is covered in ice and snow, especially in the south and midwest as the wintry blast heads east. four people have been killed on u.s. roads since the storm hit thursday. a windchill advisory is in effect for parts of northeast arkansas. alsos missouri boot heel. forecasters say windchill readings between 0 and minus 5 degrees may occur today. virginia officials warn residents of a major ice storm likely to take shape tomorrow. more than 2100 flights were cancelled nationwide. in the bay area s. f. o. cancelled about 13 arriving flights and is 17 departing flights. several fli

now it's up to caltrans to make the repairs. a nonprofit group is suing to keep a crematorium from opening in east oakland. the suit filed by communities for a better environment claims the permit should not have been issued without a public hearing. opponents have concerns about mercury, and other toxins emitted by crematorium. neither the company, stewart enterprises, nor city officials have issued a response to the lawsuit. >>> a bank robbery and a chase ended today with the officer shooting the suspect. the fbi is now trying to determine if the man is a serial bank robber known for a distinctive cotton ball on his cap. >> that suspected bank robber shot by a marin county deputy at 9:00 a.m., right across from the north gate mall. >> i heard four shots consecutively, bang, bang, bang, bang. our suspect was down. >> he dropped. he didn't move or anything. the officer surrounded him. >> no other victims. no other injuries. >> reporter: margo roarbocker says the story starts about 30 minutes earlier, when the bank of the west wa

caltrans says it wants more of a spotlight on the billion- dollar tower. 2300 new lights were tested last night, 800 at the base, 1500 at the deck level. >>> and things are back to normal at terminal a at the san jose airport. a hot water line broke yesterday causing major flooding. passenger operations and security checkpoints were restored just in time for early- morning flights today. crews spent hours using fans and hoses to clean up the ankle deep water. >>> have you ever had identical quadruplets? well, your odds are about 15 times better for doing that than winning the mega millions jackpot. [ laughter ] >> the estimated jackpot was up to $636 million. it's the second biggest jackpot ever. and if nobody wins it all tonight, the jackpot could hit $1 billion by christmas. about 70% of possible combinations will be sold for tonight's drawing. but that's no guarantee that somebody will win the megabucks. >>> i heard screaming ran outside and found out that the house across from us blew up. >> a deadly explosion rattles an alabama apartment building. what investigators think set of

. >> caltrans says it will continue testing other bolts on the bridge. >> bart and union returned to the bargaining table over disputed clause in the new labor contract. tonight there is another problem with another contact. the problem involves a third union representing 220 mid level managers in the form of a typo. a mistaken date when a new policy becomes effective. >> it was surprising to us. that we have that issue. or try to -- caught us by surprise, hopefully, we can get that resolved. >> talks between the agency and unions drag on over a disputed family leave clause. >> we have two winning megamillions tickets one snoeld san jose the person who has yet to come forward will share the jackpot. hi, leanne. >> it n.case you haven't done the math, it takes $324 million. everyone who was celebrating with the owner of the story took home $1 million. crews arrived on tulley road the owner had not arrived but officials had, and putting up posters at the site which sold one ticket. the owner finally got there, he had lots to say. >> very good day. so excited. because i win a thousand,

now it's up to caltrans to make the repairs. a nonprofit group is suing to keep a crematorium from opening in east oakland. the suit filed by communities for a better environment claims the permit should not have been issued without a public hearing. opponents have concerns about mercury, and other toxins emitted by crematorium. neither the company, stewart enterprises, nor city officials have issued a response to the lawsuit. >>> a bank robbery and a chase ended today with the officer shooting the suspect. the fbi is now trying to determine if the man is a serial bank robber known for a distinctive cotton ball on his cap. >> that suspected bank robber shot by a marin county deputy at 9:00 a.m., right across from the north gate mall. >> i heard four shots consecutively, bang, bang, bang, bang. our suspect was down. >> he dropped. he didn't move or anything. the officer surrounded him. >> no other victims. no other injuries. >> reporter: margo roarbocker says the story starts about 30 minutes earlier, when the bank of the west wa

the newest earn span of the bay bridge has what caltrans is calling a permanent fix. >> this was a unique complex problem that demanded a unique complex solution. >> the opening of $6.7 billion span was thrown into a tail spin of state hearings and earthquake concerns this spring when 32 of 96 galvanized steel rods showed hydrogen damage brittle to the point of snapping. became the quick temporary fix to get drivers on the new bridge by labor day weekend. by 11:00 a.m. today, all of those gone, replaced by the beefier saddles. >> what the saddle sticks does is it holds down the base of the seismic devices in combination of steel saddles and steel tendons provides the exact same clamping force those bolts were supposed to provide. >> these are the saddles. they bring the bridge permanently up to code. the price tag, san jose's new mega millions winner could certainly afford it, 25 million bucks more than double the initial $10 millionest mat. >> this was not something you could go to home depot and ask them where they keep their steel saddles. >> caltrans still needs to do some touchups on

caltrans says the steel saddles are in place and wrapped up work this morning. in all, it had to take care of 32 bolts on the east end of the bridge. it says the project cost $25 million. it still needs to finish some touchups and aesthetic work like paint, but the repair is done. caltrans is still testing other bolts on the bridge to make sure there are no problems that need fixing. >>> firefighters are hoping that a chance of rain tonight will help them battle a wildfire near big sur. here's the latest so far. it's burned more than 760 acres. it is now 74% contained. but 22 buildings have burned and about 14 of those are houses. firefighters say they expect to contain the fire by late friday. >>> crews are finally cutting up that huge eucalyptus tree knocked down in oakland by strong winds. that downed 137-year-old tree at lake merritt is going to turn into a jungle gym at a popular gathering spot for the past several weeks. people from all over the bay area stopped by and take pictures of it. >>> it's a very special christmas for some bay area families. >> 3,

. >>> in other headlines around the bay area this morning, caltrans says the tower on the new eastern span of the bay bridge needs better lighting. they tested 2300 new lights last night. 800 at the base and 1500 at the deck level. the idea is to make the tower stand out. it looks like it stands out there. caltrans hopes all the lights will be on by 1/1. >>> things are normal at terminal a at san jose airport. a water line broke causing flooding yesterday. it was closed for most of the day. crews had to bring out fans and hoses to remove the ankle-deep water. >>> and the time now is 4:41. the anger growing over the influx of tech workers into san francisco. how the mayor is trying to defuse the situation. >> after two landlords go to prison for terrorizing their tenants, fallout from the case continues. the new proposal aimed at protecting renters from harassment. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, with the tech industry. they call it the tech divid >>> chanting ] >>> protestors are angry about what they call a too cozy relationship with the tech industry. they call it the tech divide, the difference bet

. >> caltrans says it will continue testing other bolts on the bridge. >> bart and union returned to the bargaining table over disputed clause in the new labor contract. tonight there is another problem with another contact. the problem involves a third union representing 220 mid level managers in the form of a typo. a mistaken date when a new policy becomes effective. >> it was surprising to us. that we have that issue. or try to -- caught us by surprise, hopefully, we can get that resolved. >> talks between the agency and unions drag on over a disputed family leave clause. >> we have two winning megamillions tickets one snoeld san jose the person who has yet to come forward will share the jackpot. hi, leanne. >> it n.case you haven't done the math, it takes $324 million. everyone who was celebrating with the owner of the story took home $1 million. crews arrived on tulley road the owner had not arrived but officials had, and putting up posters at the site which sold one ticket. the owner finally got there, he had lots to say. >> very good day. so excited. because i win a thousand,

caltrans is testing 2,300 new lights, 800 at the base which are on quite yet and 1,500 at deck level. idea is to make the tower stand out. caltrans hopes all the lights will be on by the end of the month. >>> the woman accused of causing a horrific crash that killed a teenager is now charged with manslaughter. 58-year-old jennie zhu is also charged with two counts of reckless driving causing injury. police say zhu was driving 80 miles an hour when she slammed into a minivan at pine and goff streets in san francisco. this was back in september. 16-year-old kevin sand who was in the van was killed. his mother and sister were seriously injured. through an interpreter kevin's father says he still doesn't know what really happened. in translator: i want her to reflect and think deeply on herself why this happened and to cause this devastating consequence to my family. >> zhu will be back in court friday. if convicted, she faces seven years in prison. >>> three major paint companies are ordered to pay $1.1 billion to remove lead paint from millions of homes across california. a santa clara

. >>> tonight a major announcement from caltrans about the seismic safety of the new eastern span of the bay bridge. the one that just opened. work on a permanent fix to install dozens of saddles, the purple device that you see was completed. it's done. the saddles will clamp the road deck to the bridge piers. a set of steel bolts was supposed to do that job. 32 of them ended up being broken, remember? with the work done now, the focus shifts to who will pay for this project which has gone up from an estimated $10 million to $20 million to now $25 million. >> the cost is coming out of our contingency fund right now. so it's not going to increase the overall budget for the bridge. in terms of who will ultimately be paying that, there's still ongoing discussion as to who will ultimately foot the bill. >> caltrans says it will continue testing other bolts on the bridge to see if there are problems with any of those. >>> here's a surprising figure we came across today. it is estimated that americans buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week, every week. a lot of that plast

vehicles you see from caltrans, the wreckers and chp on the shoulder. all three lanes are back open. you can see here the damage done to the rail where the big rig clipped this, this is around 2:45 this morning, clipped this k-rail and went off here, veered right off the road into the construction area north of the stevens creek boulevard overpass. and ended up there as you can see where the people with the wrecking service are trying to remove the truck. couple of problems. some of the axles were torn off, that's going to make it most difficult. there is also a diesel spill so that's going to be needed to be cleaned up. this truck could be here for a while which could create a visual distraction during the morning commute. the eta is probably within 6:30, 6:45 of getting this out of here. chp told us that the driver is okay. they did speak with him after and this is what he had said happened. >> they went ahead and administered some field sobriety tests, did not find him to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to the driver of the big

you see a couple of caltrans crews, dump truck there is.they are pouring sand over the black ice spots we found earlier this morning. that caused a four-car accident. we want to go to scenes from chopper 2 moments ago. they were here earlier also pouring sand where the black ice was formed. a four-car accident. it happened around 5:30 this morning. closed two lanes on the did you ran bridge, southbound on 280. again, four- -- did you ran bridge, southbound on duran bridge, southbound on 280. as we take it back out here live you see traffic moving slowly on the northbound section of 280 as caltrans crews make another pass on the black ice. if you are drifging on southbound or southbound 280, take it easy. it kind of took us a while to get here. a lot of drivers are heeding the warning. take it easy out there on the rods as there are report -- roads as there are reports of black ice here on 280. back to you in the studio. >> okay, brian. thank you. >>> 7:49. we're gonna go trait to sal. you know about the entire commute. >> that spot being a

caltrans expects high tides this week and that means flooding. the nearby section of highway 1 could also flood so drivers may want to avoid that area, as well. >>> it's taken 150 years but the sludge generated by the gold rush miners in the sierra nevada has finally washed out to sea. tests show as a result, the waters in the san francisco bay are getting a little cleaner. downside is that the clean water lets in more sunlight which causes more algae to grow. >>> 4:36. let's check the weather. >> big changes coming our way. >> yes. >> dense fog out there in spots. watch out for that. some of the visibilities less than a quarter mile in the area epps approaching the coastline and some of the north bay valleys. out the door, we have some clouds beginning to come our way from far northern california beginning to drop in our direction ushering in major changes as we head in toward tonight. in fact, some much colder air going to be working its way into the bay area. temperatures will drop rapidly. over the bay cool in spots. the north bay valleys bac

we called caltrans, they are putting sand down in order to work to clear it. it's pretty dangerous when that black ice starts to form because you can't see it. northbound 880 approaching 5th 5th, the off ramp remains closed for another half hour. a big rig hit about 6 to 7 of those big sand barrels, caused a bunch of debris to spill all over the roadway. just the off ramp remains blocked right thousand. b.a.r.t., system wide on time, no delays. ferries, caltrains and one and three on schedule. that's your latest traffic. back to you. >>> people were slivering -- shivering throughout the bay area. >> just up, i'm bundled three layers down. good day to come ice skating. >> it's a great day to come ice skating. >> what do you think of the cold weather. >> it's so cold. it's awesome. freezing. >> it's very cold, but amazing. >> it's so cold. there's ice everywhere. >> even with the sunshine, temperatures were down in the 40s in most spots. people working at this christmas tree lot had to bring out portable heaters and plenty of hot tea and cocoa to help keep warm.

caltrans said it has wrapped up work and that all of the steel is now in place.n all, they took care of 32 boltings that snapped when they were tightened. they say the project cost $25 million. but it still needs to finish touch-ups and aesthetic work like paint but the major repair is done. >> what the final fix does is hold down the base of these seismic devices and a combination of steel saddles and tendons provides the exact same clamping that those bolts were supposed to provide. >> caltrans is still testing other bolts on the bridge to make sure there are no problems there as well. >>> we're all driving across this bridge like it's nothing. but there was a point we were wondering if it was going to be even safe to drive on it. >> they are going to be testing the other bolts to make sure they're okay. if they show problems with wear, they're going to be replaced. but down the line, down the line. i think caltrans is trying to stagger this, both for the engineering and the public relations, because we paid, what, $6.4 billion for that bridge? most expensive i

there is ice on a roadway and caltran is using sand to help with attraction.installed a big rig westbound 580 near first it was clear but now we have a another accident that is blocking the lanes. we're sink 40 minute drive times. this is from to 05 to 680. it is at 30 minutes. >> the bay bridge toll plaza is backed up beyond the 880 overpass. the san mateo bridge is starting to see- that is what ever is on the span is a little slow. the golden gate bridge is looking okay. >> the time is 6:19 a.m.. to surveillance a video is being released of a possible suspect responsible for taking it to cats from his owner and throwing them in the bay. the incident happened san francisco last week near pier 14. officials say that a woman was caring her two adult cats in a carrier when the suspect grabbed them. most of the cats and died in the incident. the suspect is seeing the video is described as a white man standing about 6 ft. tall. he is facing animal cruelty charges. >> new reports are saying that the engineer of the new york city commuter train that derailed sunday

caltrans says it finished the work this morning putting steel saddles on 32 bolts that had snapped. there's still some work to be done like touchups and paint, but the big part of the project is done. caltrans says the bridge was safe before an remains safe in the event of a major earthquake. >> we achieved the seismic safety that we needed to open the bridge by putting in those shims, those steel wedges, to get the bridge open on labor day weekend. and so basically, this just now -- we have that seismic safety. it's on a permanent basis as opposed to temporary. >> it cost about $25 million to fix the bolts. caltrans is still testing other bolts on the span to make sure there are no more problems. >>> "covered california" is scrambling to correct a technical problem that left blank spaces in eligibility notices mailed out to nearly 114,000 households. this comes just days ahead of the application deadline on monday. a spokesman said the botched notices were mailed between november 22 and december 7. >>> san francisco city officials are investigating the collapse of a home undergoing

caltrans says it finished the work this morning putting steel saddles on 32 bolts that snapped. there still is some work to be done like touchups and a little paint here and there but the big part of the project is done. caltrans says the bridge was safe before and remains safe in the event of a major earthquake. >> we achieved the seismic safety that we needed to open the bridge by putting in those shims, toes steel wedges to get the bridge open on labor day weekend so now we have that seismic safety. it's now on a permanent basis as opposed to temporary basis. >> it cost about $25 million to fix the bolts. caltrans is still testing other bolts on the span to make sure there are no more problems. >>> the crews are finally cutting up the huge eucalyptus tree that was knocked down in oakland by those strong winds a few weeks back. the downtown 137-year-old tree at lake merritt had turned into a jungle gym and gathering spot for weeks. people are taking pictures of it. >>> her family is fighting for time but her doctors say there is no hope. the medical dilemma over a girl whose t

caltrans says it finished the work this morning putting steel saddles on 32 bolts that had snapped. there's still some work to be done like touchups and paint, but the big part of the project is done. caltrans says the bridge was safe before and remains safe in the event of a major earthquake. >> we achieved the seismic safety that we needed to open the bridge by putting in those shims, those steel wedges, to get the bridge open on labor day weekend. and so basically, this just now --we have that seismic safety. it's on a permanent basis as opposed to temporary. >> it cost about $25 million to fix the bolts. caltrans is still testing other bolts on the span to make sure there are no more problems. >>> it's about 7 minutes after 6:00. the hit show duck dynasty is losing one of its most familiar faces. why phil robertson will be missing from future episodes. plus -- >> the dance and the twirling is like my thing and then the shoes, yeah, i'm happy. i love high-heeled shoes. >> they are dancing through school and learning more too. coming up how one local high school is using movement

caltran is out there trying to get the road back in shape. the accident was right near the black mountain turnoff. bay bridge toll plaza we are back up into the macarthur maze. san mateo bridge we are looking pretty good. east bound traffic is looking good and golden gate bridge as well. following the latest out of haute johannes burke where nelson mandela is being honored as. he died last week at the age of 95. a man who spent 27 years in prison fighting for equality. --johannesburg. here's some of what president obama had to say. >>: like dr. king he gave his voice for the claims of the of rest. he would endorse imprisonment that began in the time of the kennedy. a reach the final days of world war. emerging from prison he would like abraham lincoln hold his temper together when it is expected to break apart. unlike america's founding fathers he brought to a constitutional order to preserve freedom for future generations. sally some controversy at the events. -judge sadly. -- sadly. it into the remainder of the speech and more details at kr

caltran is out there with flares and blocked off a lane., watch out for the black ice. >> trading is underway on wall street and we will look at the big board. the dow is off 44 points and still under the 16,000 mark. >> new this morning, we have the first image of the new design for the mustang the first full redesign for the mustang since 2005 sitting lower and wider and the roof tapers dramatically. the model is open sale next month. we are teaming up with local feeding america food banks. you can help. take the pledge to "give where you live," we will donate a dollar in your honor to each pledge for feeding america's food banks up to $75,000. you could be rewarded: everyone is entered to win $7,000 cash with the winner announced december 19th. help us "give where you live." >> seven things to know before you go just ahead. prove it. enough is enough. d-con baits are specially formulated to kill in one feeding. guaranteed. d-con. get out. >>> as we hand things off to "good morning america" seven things to know before you go. number one,

. >>> caltrans calls the saddle is meant to be the permanent fix for the broken bolts discovered this $25 million job was officially complete yesterday. but there's still a little left to do. >> there's a bit of concrete patch work that has to happen. they need to paint the saddles with some protective paint to protect the saddles against corrosion. there are caps that need to be put on the heads of the rod. >> reporter: caltrans says the bridge is now ready to withstand a massive earthquake for the next 150 years. >>> a big part of important construction equipment is about to leave tomorrow. it owners will tow it down the west coast through the panama canal. >>> here are the temperatures the we had today. kind of what we had yesterday. oakland 63. and then 58 in san mateo. 60 in santa rosa. not a bad day but not as warm as we had yesterday. setting up clear skies right now. it set up those winds too. strong winds with wind advisories we had earlier are now dying now. wind advisories are gone. there's a small craft advisory offshore. that doesn't affect many of us obviously. the overn

caltrans is testing other bolts as well on the bridge to make sure there are no problems on the bridgeur collective memory is so sure. driving across the bay bridge seems like old hat. it's easy to forget how far we've come in the last few months. >> i don't think we're gonna forget all that quick after all the bridge final cost was $6.4 billion making it in the guinness book of world records as the most expensive span in the world. and some in sacramento have questions about those costs and the overruns and will be going into them in the coming months to find out what went wrong and how to prevent similar problems. >> it was that people were wondering a few months ago if we were safe to drive across with a broken bolts. >> we would've been would have been driving on until possibly new year's. >>> the last bart strike there've been talked about creating a low law that would stop bart members from striking . >> in exchange for giving up the right to strike, they would be given the authority to go to a fact-finding and some sort of binding arbitration. >> you dropped that bomb on the sam

caltran says the work was finished at about 11:00 this morning. you'll recall back in march, nearly 1/3 of the 96 seismic safety bolts cracked as they were being tightened. repairs to the bolts cost $95 million. that's twice the amount that officials predicted. >> this was a unique complex problem that demanded a unique complex solution. this was not something you can go to home depot, and ask them where they keep their steel saddle. >> caltran said the cost was within its contingent budget. >>> u.s. stock markets rocketed higher today after federal reserve chairman ben bernanke announced plans to start tapering the feds stimulus efforts. >> job rate has continued to improve. >> he anticipates growth over the next few years, and as a result, the fed will reduce its $85 billion monthly bond purchases by $10 billion starting in january. this was bernanke's final briefing on the economy. his term ends january 31. stocks soared today after the feds comments. the dow gained 292 points. many investors interpret the feds decision as a sign of confidence

. >> there could be caltrans as well as the contractor and design firm. testing of the bolts continue into next year. live in oakland abc7 news. >> police pleading for witnesses to come forward who saw a hit and run left a pedestrian with serious injuries. a 78-year-old man was crossing university avenue when being hit. he has multiple broken bones. police are asking anyone who may have been driving through that area to please give them a call immediately. >> two thieves woke up neighbors and led police on a chase before getting away. against oncoming traffic. officers found the van >> it's like a run. i pulled a man up to the front. and drove off. >> officers tell us the van was stolen from the south bay. >> haggling over a disputed clause in the bart contract drags on tonight. abc7 news is live at bart headquarters. >> that is right. board members getting frustrateed and talks still going on. this is between bart and two largest unions over that paid family leave provision. now we're finding out there is a problem a board is supposed to vote on in the m

caltrans must now make the repairs. anyone with information is asked to call bell month police. >>> some san francisco residents say the city sri dues the amount of overhead -- reduce the amount of overhead wires. the san francisco commission on underground utilities tells "the chronicle" it's a visual pollution. she says while the city has done a lot to modernize the transit system and reduce emissions, the electric lines mark up the city. they say vehicle batteries will one day eliminate the electrical grid, but that's not going to happen for several years. >>> it is 7:57. concerns about pilot training. the revelations on the ntsb hearing looking into the asiana airlines crash. >> we are live in antioch where a suspect leads police on a high-speed chase through four different cities. we will tell you how it started and how it all came to an end. >>> good morning. right now we are looking at things that are beginning, unfortunately, to happen on the bay area roads. you see the san mateo bridge looks good but there are

be careful, caltran is this trying to melt the ice and make it safe. >> we are experiencing a 15-minute delay with a train to dublin and more than 50 traps are -- 50 trains are on time. the bay bridge toll plaza lights are on and there is backup away from the maze. >> thank you, leyla gulen. >> along with success, comes problems for california's insurance exchange. at 6:30, the popularity of cover california is leading to new issues for applicants. >> gift card concerns and mike finney teams up with "consumer reports" to reveal the problems you may run into if you receive you may run into if you receive a giftiends... in] paul and i han friends...in] paul a we. [kevin] he's the one person who loves pizza more than i do. [paul] we're obsessed. [kevin] we decided to make our obsession our livelihood. [kevin] business was really good. [kevin] then our sauce supplier told me: "you got to get quickbooks." [kevin]quickbooks manages money, tracks sales and expenses. [paul] we even use it to accept credit cards. [paul] somebody buys a pie with a credit card, boom, all the accounts update.d hiri

caltran officials showed us what the permanent fix looks like. it's called a steel saddle. it's purple on your screen. it replaces the broken rods on the bridge. it also allows the bridge to sway in case of a major earthquake. retired engineer criticized caltras about the permanent fix. >> we do agree that the water, the standing water that had been in the holes that the bolts were in would have very well been a factor that led to them break, but our report also identified other factors and we're continuing to listen to anyone who comes to talk to us. >> so caltrans says the bridge is safe. it's safer than the old one. the cost of the permanent fix, $25 million. the life span of the new eastern span, 150 years. reporting live in oakland, i'm cheryl herd, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, cheryl. here comes a shift in our weather. we're bracing for a windy night. let's take you outside. a live look at the san mateo bridge now. use some caution on the bridges and freeways tonight. jeff franieri to show us what we can expect. >> the winds increasing in san francisco, coming out

. >> a that's right and there's street lights owned by caltrans but appear to be streets to us but are considered highways. >> how can a resident you see it as light it's outdoor out you want to know who owns it sometimes there's a tag but it's small. >> sometimes they're a tag it can be indicative. if it's a wood pole that the light is on its a pg&e light they own the wood poles and under the circumstances they typically own the street lights . after a other than that, it's difficult to tell. we have a slide that shows how it breaks down in terms of ownership where the blue town districts show the majority of lights owned by puc and the green toned are the districts and a neighborhood where their owned by pg&e. is there any consideration given to having one entity own all the lights? >> yes. the city over the decades has credited that issue and has discussions, you know, whether ownership should be by the city or pg&e. and we've seen some movement within pg&e territory and our representative can talk about the ownership changes. the assets are old. to have them operate well, they need

three and a half months after that new bridge opened, just a few hours ago, caltrans announced the repair job on those giant safety bolts have been fixed and a permanent fix is in place. the steal saddles are functional and the temporary fix to let us open the bridge labor day weekend have been taken out. >> last summer about 30 of 100 bolts snapped or cracked as they were being tighted them. >>> and tomorrow, the winds are picking up and that's easing concerns about the air we're breathing. the south bay with some of the worst. due to a fire in big sur and a scrap metal plant. we spoke with officials today. they're predicting the wind will clear the air. >> all of that sits in the bay area and builds up over time, it doesn't get blown out. >> we are expecting a wind advisory tonight. bill martin will be here at 7:20 with the timeline and he'll show us what else we can expect. firefighters in big sur say they're making progress, with 74% containment expected friday, at 100%. 22 buildings, 843 acres have burned and the cause is still under investigation. >>> and families of a 13-year-old a

caltrans is requiring chains on 80 to the donner change. on our website you the get the latest weather information any time. you can also check storm tracker 2. >>> developing news now, that 85-year-old veteran from palo alto was being held in north korea is free tonight and on his way back to the bay area. and within the past 45 minutes, we heard from meryll newman's son. amber lee spoke when he will be reunited with his family. >> reporter: we heard that newman was on his way home to san francisco. less than an hour ago his son who's in los angeles had a huge smile on his face when he spoke about his father. >> we're absolutely delighted to confirm that meryll newman is on his way home after being released by the dprk. >> reporter: in palo alto at channing house they refused to speak to us on camera. but they were all smiles. >> i was very pleased. very pleased indeed. i don't know what it took to get him released but i'm very glad he's coming home. i'm sure his family is too. >> reporter: the north korean state news agency kcna reported

the lanes just opened but expect slowing as caltran keeps the exits closed while the safety barrels relisted. >> if you are mying today you will want to call ahead or check online. we will tell you why, but, just to give you a hint, thousands of flights cross the country were canceled over the weekend because of bad weather. in youngers new dozens taken to the hospital. no ones with -- no one was seriously hurt. >> in wisconsin, snow resulted in several weekend pileups. this was outside milwaukee on sunday with amateur video showing the pilot on the busy highway and the long backup that followed. this crash was one of several backups for commuter. one man died. we have a weather app for weather alerts and tracking live doppler 7 hd which can be downloaded for free at abc7news.com/apps or on google play. >> a tense stand off inside a hospital emergency room in phoenix now has ended in the last hour. negotiators talked the suspect into surrendering after he pulled a knife and a gun on officers this morning. no patients were impacted. >> menlo park police are looking for the gunman who shot a 1

caltrans is requiring chains on 80 to the donner change. on our website you the get the latest weather information any time. you can also check storm tracker 2. >>> developing news now, that 85-year-old veteran from palo alto was being held in north korea is free tonight and on his way back to the bay area. and within the past 45 minutes, we heard from meryll newman's son. amber lee spoke when he will be reunited with his family. >> reporter: we heard that newman was on his way home to san francisco. less than an hour ago his son who's in los angeles had a huge smile on his face when he spoke about his father. >> we're absolutely delighted to confirm that meryll newman is on his way home after being released by the dprk. >> reporter: in palo alto at channing house they refused to speak to us on camera. but they were all smiles. >> i was very pleased. very pleased indeed. i don't know what it took to get him released but i'm very glad he's coming home. i'm sure his family is too. >> reporter: the north korean state news agency kcna reported

now, here is a black eyed -- excuse me, caltrans out at dewitt, right at sir francis drake, put downion and safer conditions there. a quick look outside irk your drive, right through san jose, northbound 280, a busy one now. kristen, eric? >> thank you very much, leyla. it is now 6:51. could you use an extra $7,000 this holiday season? a that's how much you could win just for helping abc7 news fight hunger here in the bay area. when you click the give button on our facebook page, we will donate $1 to feeding america's food banks for you and you might win $7,000. imagine the good you could do with that. we will announce the winner on december 19th. so go to the abc7 news facebook page, help us give where you live and spread the word so your friends can help, too. >>> ahead, the seven >>> 6:53. good morning, everybody. a live look at the oakland maze on the abc 7 morning news. you can see friday light there just 12 days before christmas. do the math that means this is friday the 13th. >> oh. as we get ready to hand things off to "good morning, america," here's seven things to know befo