BERKELEY, Calif. -- Caltrans has weathered no shortage controversy since the September 8 opening of the S-curve section of the problem plagued eastern span. But on Monday a UC Berkeley structural engineer issued scathing criticism against the agency, calling the reopening of the Bay Bridge “criminally negligent.”

Professor Abolhassan Astaneh said ever since the crack in the eyebar was discovered during the Labor Day inspection, the eastern span of the Bay Bridge has been unsafe.

“You have to shut down this bridge immediately,” said Professor Astaneh.”There's no doubt about it.”

The S-curve controversy aside, the professor said the bigger danger is the eyebar fix.

He said the repair means the bridge is vulnerable and that it cannot withstand 85 mph winds or a 7.3 magnitude earthquake as required under federal transportation guidelines.

“If Caltrans lets the public go on that bridge, they are committing a violation of this national standard that is criminally negligent,” insisted Astaneh.

The professor created a computer animation which he said illustrates the possible failure of Caltrans' eyebar fix during a 7.3 earthquake.

Add to that the sharp S-curve and he said the bridge has become even more dangerous.

“This is the most...how do I put it? The most criminally negligent thing that any engineer can do; to put sharp curves in the middle of a straight bridge,” said Astaneh.

During a Monday afternoon press conference, Caltrans defended its work.

We absolutely have not lost control of the Bay Bridge,” said Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney during a press conference. “The bridge is safe.”

There have been more than 40 crashes on the Bay Bridge in the two months since the S-curve was installed.

In Monday's deadly crash, investigators said multiple witnesses reported the driver was going 50 miles an hour; 10 miles over the posted speed limit.

Officials said the blame lies not in the design of the S-curve, but rather rests with drivers going too fast.

“This is a tragic incident that could've been prevented had that driver followed the law, the rules of the road,” said CHP Assistant Chief Bridget Lott at the press conference.

Professor Astaneh said it's unreasonable to expect drivers to slow down from 50 mph to 35 mph in a short distance to negotiate two curves that he called “too sharp”.

He suggested reducing the five lanes across the bridge to just three at the s-curve to give room to smooth out the curves for drivers. And if significant changes aren’t made to the troubled section of the span? “We are going to have more and more people killed,” said Astaneh.

There's little doubt that reducing the five lanes in the S-curve to just three would create a bottleneck and slow down traffic across the bridge.

But the argument Professor Astaneh made is that slower traffic is better than more deadly accidents.