Rio Vista bridge stuck above roadway, stalling traffic

The Helen Madere Memorial Bridge in Rio Vista is stuck in the “up” position in the air Thursday above Highway 12, leaving no way for cars to cross the Sacramento River and stalling traffic, Caltrans tweeted Thursday afternoon.

Caltrans announced the issue at about 4 p.m., and says engineers are working on a “mechanical problem” that was expected to be fixed by 6:30 p.m. Later, it tweeted that its electrical team estimates repairs will take until 3 a.m. Friday morning.

In the meantime, traffic in all four directions is backed up for miles, Caltrans’ traffic map shows.

The drawbridge can be raised to allow commercial and recreational ships to pass underneath, Caltrans’ website said.

This story was originally published August 9, 2018 at 5:35 PM.