The California Department of Transportation reopened the Bay Bridge Monday morning, nearly one week after the bridge was shut down when a repair failed and sent about 2 1/2 tons of steel debris crashing onto the upper deck.

The first cars were allowed back onto the bridge at about 8:50 a.m.

At a news conference this morning, Caltrans spokeman Bart Ney thanked Bay Area drivers for bearing with the closure.

"Thank you for your patience," Ney said. "I know it's been difficult. ... We are happy to be returning the Bay Bridge to public service this morning."

The closure stretched through three full weekdays and this morning's commute, and complicated Halloween plans for many on both sides of the Bay.

BART saw ridership records shattered as commuters flocked to public transit to get to work.

The failure occurred Tuesday evening when two tie rods and a crossbar tumbled onto the upper deck of the eastern span, damaging three vehicles. The rods and crossbar had been installed to take pressure off a cracked eyebar that was spotted during construction over the Labor Day weekend.

Caltrans attributed the failure to the inability of the rods to withstand strong vibrations caused in part by heavy winds last week.

Ney said this morning that crews have been testing new rods that were installed to ensure that vibrations won't be a problem. The repair passed the tests and Caltrans decided to reopen the bridge today.

"We're ready to open," he said.

Caltrans will perform regular inspections by closing lanes during off-peak hours to examine the entire system, Ney said.

The California Highway Patrol planned to escort the first groups of cars across the reopened span.

— Bay City News Service