Arnold Aims to Re-Build San Francisco Freeway!

Governor Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency yesterday, after part of a busy San Francisco freeway collapsed. The Governor is seeking federal aid to help the state rebuild the fallen freeway.

The section in the so-called MacArthur Maze in nearby Oakland, California, fell on Sunday in True Lies style, when its metal structure melted amid an intense fire caused by the crash of a fuel tanker truck. Amazingly, only one person was hurt.

The loss of the section threatens to lengthen the commutes of hundreds of thousands of workers who normally cross the busy tangle of highways to the Bay Bridge en route to jobs in San Francisco. Schwarzenegger also requested federal aid to help pay for traffic detours and boosting public transit.

Many Bay Area residents feared a hellish Monday morning commute but local transit agencies provided free rides on buses and trains and there were no serious delays.

"It would have been worse if it happened this morning," said Angela Narvasa as she waited for a train in El Cerrito, California, a town north of Oakland. "That would have created more chaos. Everyone seems to be prepared."

Others fret the worst may come after Monday, when free public transport ends.

Global Arnold Staff