BART Ridership Jumps During Freeway Closure
- BART saw a surge in riders when a major Bay Area freeway was closed, officials said. - The spike came during the closure of a prominent Bay Area freeway, officials said. - Transit leaders say the surge highlights BART's role as essential regional infrastructure and could influence future service planning (patch.com).
BART carried tens of thousands of extra riders during San Francisco’s weekend Interstate 80 shutdown, as drivers shifted to trains instead of detours. (bart.gov) On Friday, April 17, BART logged 182,570 trips, up 16% from the previous Friday and nearly 25,000 additional riders. Saturday reached 139,700 trips and Sunday 98,850, both 46% above the prior week, BART said. (bart.gov) The closure covered eastbound I-80 between 17th and 4th streets from 11 p.m. Friday, April 17, to 6 a.m. Monday, April 20. Caltrans also closed the U.S. 101 connector ramps to eastbound I-80 and warned of heavy congestion in SoMa, Mission Bay, and nearby streets. (dot.ca.gov) Caltrans said the shutdown was needed for structural and bridge deck rehabilitation on 71-year-old Central and Bayshore freeway viaducts. The affected stretch is about 1.6 miles near the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge corridor. (dot.ca.gov) BART said April ridership so far is running about 10% above a year earlier, after March set multiple post-pandemic records. The agency said it handled the freeway weekend surge while keeping its standard five-line weekend service in place. (bart.gov) That spike landed as BART is still trying to climb out of its pandemic slump. The agency says ridership remains about 50% below pre-pandemic levels and that its fare-dependent budget faces a $350 million to $400 million structural deficit. (bart.gov) BART’s published ridership trends show how uneven that recovery has been. In calendar year 2025, average weekday ridership was 180,649, compared with 165,502 in 2024, while average Saturday ridership was 108,449 and average Sunday ridership was 78,691. (bart.gov) The board’s fallback plan, if no new funding arrives, includes three-line service, 9 p.m. shutdowns, fare increases, layoffs, and possible station closures starting in 2027 or later. Against that backdrop, BART used the I-80 weekend to argue that rail capacity still matters when a major highway goes down. (bart.gov; bart.gov)
