Difficult rush hour expected after Bay Bridge closes

(CNN) -- The shutdown of a major artery linking the California cities of San Francisco and Oakland sent area officials scrambling overnight to develop plans to ease congestion for Wednesday morning's rush hour.

The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge closed indefinitely Tuesday night after a piece of the span fell onto the roadway, prompting the thousands who use the bridge to hunt for alternative routes. The 73-year-old bridge spans the San Francisco Bay and carries an average of 280,000 vehicles daily, the state's Transportation Department says.

"All traffic is being diverted to other bridges. Motorists are advised to expect delays, use alternate routes, and plan ahead for the morning commute," said a message on the Web site of 511, a group of public agencies that provides travel information to Bay Area travelers.

The section of the Bay Bridge from which the debris fell is the same section that was repaired during Labor Day weekend when crews worked almost around the clock to fix a crack in the span.

To ease roadway traffic jams, the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, or BART, said it plans to run longer trains and increase its service during rush hour. Were you there? Send photos and video

"We have called in extra personnel to help us make sure we operate with every available train car we have in order to provide as much capacity as possible," Paul Oversier, BART assistant general manager of operations, said in a statement.

"That said, we do anticipate crowded trains. The peak of our morning commute is usually between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. We urge our customers to try to ride either before those times or after if possible."

The system also plans to run extra trains throughout the rest of the day and run extra trains outside the BART schedule.

Alameda-Contra Costa Transit will run regular weekday service for the Wednesday morning commute, but its buses will detour to four East Bay BART stations so passengers can continue to San Francisco on BART.

Ferry service is also available, and Amtrak is running a shuttle between the San Francisco and Martinez stations for Coast Starlight and California Zephyr passengers.

Eastbound and westbound lanes were shut down at 8 p.m. Tuesday after a piece of steel and cable fell from overhead, causing a minor car accident, California Highway Patrol Officer Peter Van Eckhardt told CNN.

No one was injured in the accident, which backed up traffic for miles.

The section of the bridge where the accident occurred will be reinspected before the span reopens, officials said.

A 50-foot section of the bridge collapsed in 1989 during the Loma Prieta earthquake, killing one person and prompting efforts to make it stronger.