Happy 2020 to everyone. As the holiday hoopla heads out of the way, this weekend is shaping up to be one of those rare Bay Area weekends where the region isn’t positively buzzing with fairs, festivals, shows, footraces, concerts, celebrations, and protests. That’s a far cry from saying there’s nothing going on, though.
While it may be a little quieter than usual, there’s a Bay Bridge multi-lane closure in both directions on Saturday night that drivers should know about. There's another traffic obstacle on the horizon for drivers heading between Oakland and Alameda. Night work on the Posey Tube will likely begin Monday.
As far as things to do in the Bay Area on Saturday and Sunday, there will be the closing festivities at San Jose’s Christmas in the Park. It's also the last weekend for a fun Lego exhibit in Palo Alto. Sports fans may be interested in the Warriors-Pistons game at the Chase Center on Saturday.
SAN FRANCISCO:
Sat, Jan 4 at 5:30pm: The Golden State Warriors play the Detroit Pistons at the Chase Center.
- Pro tip: As usual, northbound 3rd Street between 16th Street and Warriors Way will be closed from a half-hour before the game until 45 minutes after the event ends. There will be no-parking rules in effect on Warriors Way and parts of 16th Street and Terry Francois Blvd. For information on getting to and from the Chase Center and parking options, visit this Muni page.
Sat, Jan 4 starting at 11:30pm: Caltrans has scheduled lane closures on the Bay Bridge's upper and lower decks for maintenance work. From 11:30pm til 8am, there will be two to three lanes of traffic closed on the westbound upper deck from the Treasure Island tunnel into San Francisco. The closures on the eastbound lower deck start later, with two to three lanes shut from 1am to 9am. The First Street and Essex Street on-ramps will also be off-limits from 3am to 7am.
- Pro tip: The fact that Caltrans is closing three of five lanes between 2am and 7am will probably mean delays will be minimal-to-tolerable. But if you don’t want to risk it, you can always plan ahead to take the San Mateo Bridge as an alternate (or the Richmond San Rafael Bridge to the Golden Gate).
Sun, Jan 5 starting at 8am: BART riders can expect delays of 15-30 minutes due to electrical work in Downtown San Francisco. Trains will share a single track between the Embarcadero and 24th Street stations, which causes the delays.
- Pro tip: During this single-tracking BART will only have one platform open at Montgomery, Powell, Civic, and 16th Street stations. Riders will experience similar disruption between Embarcadero and 24th Street for approximately 28 Sundays per year through 2021, BART says.
SOUTH BAY:
Fri, Jan 3; Sat, Jan 4; Sun, Jan 5 from 9am-midnight: At San Jose’s Plaza de Cesar Chavez, it’s the final weekend for Christmas in the Park. Each year, the two-acre park is transformed into a holiday fantasy with over 60 musical and animated exhibits with glittering lights and the 60-foot Community Giving Tree. Saturday night at 6pm is movie night, complete with milk and cookies. Saturday's feature is Toy Story 4.
The following item isn’t really a weekend item – Caltrans has it tentatively scheduled to begin Monday night, January 6 – but if you travel between Oakland and Alameda, it’s definitely something you’ll want to be aware of.
The
Posey Tube will be closed between from Alameda to Oakland from 10pm to 5am weekdays until March for repairs and rehab work on a safety system. Caltrans says shuttle services will be available for pedestrians and bicyclists during the closure, but you’ll definitely want to allow extra time for that trip.
- Pro tip: Of course, there are other roadways that will get you from Alameda to Oakland: There are bridges on Park Street, High Street, and Fruitvale Avenue, and you can even sneak out back via the Bay Farm Island Bridge and Doolittle Drive. None of these is quite as convenient as the Posey Tube in terms of connecting the north end of the island to Downtown Oakland. And the same delays will apply in March when work starts in the Webster Street Tube.
PENINSULA:
Fri, Jan 3; Sat, Jan 4; Sun, Jan 5 from 11am-3:30pm: Palo Alto: Final weekend for the
Bay Area Lego Users Group’s yearly Holiday Lego Show at the
Museum of American Heritage, 351 Homer Ave. The iconic little blocks are cleverly assembled to showcase holiday scenes in a miniature city. This year’s theme is BayLUG at the Beach, featuring a whimsical beach scene.
- Pro tip: Admission is only $3 per person.
