SAN FRANCISCO — Protesters blocked all westbound lanes of Interstate 80 into the city on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
Shortly before 4:45 p.m., all I-80 lanes just west of Treasure Island were blocked, with no estimated time of reopening, CHP Officer James Evans said. The CHP issued a traffic alert.
Officers on scene were working to clear out protesters, who may have been part of an earlier car caravan, while traffic backed up to the Bay Bridge toll plaza, where metering lights were turned on just after 5:15 p.m.
The protests are likely to be connected to a series of ongoing demonstrations nationwide and in the Bay Area for the past two weeks, denouncing police violence after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
In social-media posts, some were seen spraying and painting “#BLM” onto bridge lanes.
Check back for updates.
Protest Activity on Westbound I-80 West of Treasure Island Rd in San Francisco. All Lanes Blocked. https://t.co/ITRwoLsl4h
— 511 SF Bay (@511SFBay) June 15, 2020
SF Bay Bridge shut down by protests pic.twitter.com/UcQQEGTgAw
— Mandeep (@mandeepnyc) June 14, 2020
Stuck on the bay bridge. ALL lanes on WB I-80 blocked by protestors. 😩 #baybridge #protest @nbcbayarea pic.twitter.com/SIzZslxhP5
— Christine Ni (@christineniSF) June 15, 2020
ALERTSF: A Civic Demonstration is affecting Westbound lanes on the Bay Bridge. There are traffic impacts to the area.
Expect delays and use alternate routes. Check https://t.co/KhHeZty2yc for realtime traffic and transit updates.
https://t.co/2R91465dxv— San Francisco DEM (@SF_emergency) June 15, 2020
Ch- they done shut down the bay bridge plsss pic.twitter.com/FyvYbTMfXK
— America’s Boyfriend says Black Lives Matter (@CricketSweater) June 15, 2020
Standstill on the bay bridge and now everyone’s just chillin cuz we live here now. #baybridge #sfprotests pic.twitter.com/kmygZZorcf
— Amy Foote (@AmyTheFoote) June 15, 2020
An ambulance is on scene at the Bay Bridge protest. Our desk reports a protester is having an asthma attack. pic.twitter.com/nbwUmBnPru
— Eric Shackelford (@ABC7Shack) June 15, 2020
Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.
