(BCN) -- Drivers heading east across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge should expect overnight delays as lane closures for bridge painting and repair work continue through mid-December, Caltrans said Friday. Four eastbound lanes will close in stages between the San Francisco Anchorage near Rinco n Hill and the Yerba Buena Island Tunnel, leaving one lane open to traffic. The closures are scheduled Sunday through Thursday nights, from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. All lanes will reopen each morning after work is completed. Giant waves trigger Santa Cruz to close beaches The work is part of Caltrans' Structural Steel Painting and Spall Repairs Project, which began in April 2026 and is expected to take five years to complete. Crews are installing a temporary access platform called the Safe Span to provide a secure work area while painting sections of the bridge's lower deck. The lane closure schedule will be adjusted on nights when major sporting or music events take place at Chase Center. Crews will wait until two hours after an event ends before starting lane reductions. If an event ends after 10:45 p.m., closures will begin at 12:45 a.m. The closures will take place in stages throughout the night: 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. - Lane 1 closes. 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. - Lane 2 closes. Midnight to 6 a.m. - Lane 3 closes. 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. - Lane 4 closes. On Thursday nights, Lane 3 will close at 2 a.m. instead of midnight. Caltrans said the Safe Span platform is needed to protect workers while they carry out painting work. The broader project aims to improve the bridge's durability and long-term safety, with completion expected by 2031. Copyright © 2026 Bay City News, Inc. ...read more read less