BART maintenance work involving shutdowns underway, expect delays

LAFAYETTE, Calif. (BCN) - The first of six planned weekend BART shutdowns for track replacement between Walnut Creek and Orinda will take place this weekend.

The track work is funded by the voter-approved Measure RR and will significantly improve the rider experience on BART's busiest line, the Antioch-Millbrae line, by replacing nearly 50-year-old track components, BART spokesman Chris Filippi said.   Bus service will be available for passengers traveling between the Orinda, Lafayette and Walnut Creek stations.

"A lot of the equipment that’s going to be replaced has been around since we started service in the 70’s," he said. "We want to give our riders a safe, reliable experience on BART." 

Two eastbound lanes of state Highway 24 near the Lafayette station and Oak Hill Road will also be closed to make room for a 265-ton crane that is essential to perform the heavy lifting tasks required to complete the rebuilding work.

BART passengers can expect delays of 40 minutes or more on track shutdown weekends, while traffic delays of up to 30 minutes are expected on the eastbound Highway 24.

The rest of the shutdowns will be on the weekends of Aug. 31, Sep. 14, Sep. 28, Oct. 12 and Oct. 26, with single tracking happening on Saturdays of the weekends in between. 
   

KTVU's Jorge Bustos contributed to this report.