An announcement from Caltrans about work tonight on the Carquinez Bridge:

I-80 Carquinez Bridge Fender Replacement Project
Eastbound Lane Closures Planned for Tonight
CONTRA COSTA AND SOLANO COUNTIES – Tonight, Caltrans will begin a concrete pour for the I-80 Carquinez Bridge Fender Replacement Project. Construction equipment will be deployed on the bridge which will require lane closures on eastbound I-80 just prior to the Carquinez Bridge and will continue onto the bridge itself and the toll plaza.

Lane closures will be as follows:

· Between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., one lane will be closed on eastbound I-80 beginning just before the Carquinez Bridge.
· Between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., a second lane of eastbound I-80 will be closed on the Carquinez Bridge just after the Crockett onramp.
· After midnight, if needed, a third lane of eastbound I-80 will be closed on the Carquinez Bridge.
· During these closures, at least one eastbound lane will remain open at all times.
· By 8 a.m., all eastbound lanes will be open.

The construction activities are weather dependent. If work is cancelled due to weather, it will be rescheduled.

Motorists may experience delays. Caltrans will use portable changeable message signs to alert motorists about the closures. The California Highway Patrol will also be on site to assist with traffic control.

Caltrans apologizes for any inconvenience this work may cause and asks that motorists continue to “Slow for the Cone Zone.”

My plan on Thursday was to attend the reopening ceremony of the historic Maritime Center in Richmond, then rush back to the office to file a story on the event and write the community column for Sunday’s edition.
That plan came crashing down, when I came crashing down myself, tripping on the sidewalk and injuring a finger pretty badly. Instead of hurrying back to the office, I was hurrying to the emergency clinic at Kaiser Richmond, which, thankfully, was nearby.
This note is just to explain why there won’t be a column on Sunday as I recuperate and to offer my apology to all the readers and contributors who depend on it for their community news. I plan to be back at work next week, typing laboriously with the fingers I can still use.

It hasn’t been an easy year for public education. For the John Swett school district, the state budget cuts have translated into layoffs, program cuts and elimination of basics like librarians and custodians.

Pastor John Wright of Full Gospel Fellowship Church in Hercules has decided some local help is needed. Wright has teamed up with Steve Trotter, principal of Rodeo Hills Elementary School in Rodeo, and launched a new web site: www.adoptyourschool.org.

The site has a general list of needed items (everything from colored pencils to glue sticks to disinfectant wipes) and drop-off locations. Right now Full Gospel is the only official drop-off point but more are coming.

Teachers in all grades at Rodeo Hills have also posted their personalized wish lists on the site.

So if you’ve got some extra school or office supplies around the house, or you don’t mind picking up a little extra while doing your back-to-school shopping this summer, check out the new site!

Maybe Crockett is finally ready for its closeup.
Last year Clint Eastwood brought a stealthy operation to the town to film scenes of his feature “Hereafter” in the C&H sugar refinery.
The crew, including the film’s star, Matt Damon, were gone before the outside world realized they had been there.
This week Hollywood returned in a much bigger fashion, parking some 40 large trailers Wednesday on streets of the town, many of them carrying vintage vehicles used in the filming on Winslow Street.
The filming permit was issued by the county and lasts through Saturday night, said Dale McDonald, general manager of the Crockett Community Services District.
So what is the production?
McDonald said there has been no official disclosure, but neighborhood scuttlebutt is that it is a feature based on L. Ron Hubbard starring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
The county filming permit is set to expire at midnight on Saturday, McDonald said.

The extension of the Interstate 80 high-occupancy-vehicle lane from the Highway 4 connector in Hercules to the Carquinez Bridge will be dedicated with a ceremony at 10 a.m. Tuesday, but there are more ramp closures until then to complete the work, Caltrans announced.
Ramp Closures:
· Eastbound I-80 connector ramp to eastbound State Route 4/Willow Avenue will be closed tonight from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
· Eastbound I-80 Willow Avenue off-ramp will be closed tonight from 8 p.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Note: this work will not be performed concurrent will the connector ramp closure above. One ramp will remain open at all times.
· Eastbound I-80 Willow Avenue on-ramp will be closed tonight from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
· Eastbound I-80 Cummings Skyway off-ramp will be closed Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from 8 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday.
· Eastbound I-80 Willow Avenue off-ramp will be closed Saturday night from 8 p.m. until 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
· Eastbound I-80 Willow Avenue on-ramp will be closed Saturday night from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
· Eastbound I-80 Cummings Skyway on-ramp will be closed Saturday from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m. Sunday.
· Eastbound I-80 Cummings Skyway off-ramp will be closed Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
· Eastbound I-80 Willow Avenue off-ramp will be closed Monday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
· Eastbound I-80 Willow Avenue on-ramp will be closed Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
· Eastbound I-80 Cummings Skyway on-ramp will be closed Monday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
· Eastbound I-80 Cummings Skyway off-ramp will be closed Monday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
· Eastbound I-80 Crockett Off-ramp will be closed Monday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Presiding at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday will be Caltrans District 4 Director Bijan Sartipi; Metropolitan Transportation Commission Vice Chair and Orinda council member Amy Rein Worth, California Highway Patrol Paul Fontana, Hercules Mayor Joanne Ward and Ghilotti Brothers President Mike Ghilotti.

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Crockett will be the site of the area’s third annual observance of Armed Forces Day when it hosts a “Walk of Honor” across the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The Vietnam Veterans of Diablo Valley is looking for people willing to “walk in the name of a veteran or service member” as part of the annual tribute day established by President Harry S. Truman in 1949.
Each registered walker will be given a small American flag to carry and the walk will be followed by a barbecue, with live music and a raffle at the Crockett Community Center, 850 Pomona St.
According to organizers, “Medal of Honor recipient James A. Taylor, U. S. Army (VietNam) is our guest of honor and will speak at this year’s Walk of Honor lunch. Jim and his family will be ‘flown-in’ over the Walk of Honor in a Vietnam (era) UH-1 Huey along with VNVDV President Jerry Yahiro, also a U.S. Army veteran with service in Vietnam. “
Planning for the event, sponsored by ConocoPhillips and community organizations in honor of those who have served or are serving in uniform and benefit veterans started last fall.
Registration is 8 to 9 a.m. at the Community Center.

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If you’ve been to Port Costa, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered the whimsical and imaginative works of award-winning artist Clayton Bailey.
Bailey will be the special guest at an hourlong talk with Chief Curator of Art Phil Linhares in the Gallery of California Art at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Oakland Museum of California.

It was 20 years ago last month that a memorial service was held for Aldo Ray, a former U.S. Navy Frogman who settled in Crockett to raise a family after World War II and served as the town constable until he was discovered by Hollywood.
Ray rang up a steady string of movie and TV credits — including acting alongside Rita Hayworth — and was doing roles right up until the time of his death on March 27, 1991 at age 64.

Caltrans, which loves to wait until the last minute to announce these things, has scheduled more closures in Hercules for its Interstate 80 Eastbound HOV Lane Extension Project.
* The I-80 Eastbound Willow Avenue off-ramp will be closed today from 10 p.m.-8 a.m. Work will continue Monday night, April 4, and Tuesday night, April 5, from 9 p.m.-7 a.m. Detour: From I-80, take the eastbound State Route 4 off-ramp and then exit to Willow Avenue.
* The connector ramp from Highway 4 to eastbound I-80 will close from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday for paving. Detour: Continue on John Muir Parkway. Turn right on San Pablo Avenue. Continue on San Pablo Avenue to Willow Avenue and turn right. Continue on Willow Avenue. Take the on-ramp to eastbound I-80.
* Eastbound I-80 Cummings Skyway off-ramp, Monday night, April 4, from 9 p.m.-7 a.m. for guardrail installation. Detour: Take the Pomona St. off-ramp, turn right on San Pablo Ave, continue on San Pablo Ave. to Cummings Skyway and turn left.
As always, drive with caution around the work areas.
Work is part of a project to extend the Interstate 80 carpool lane from Highway 4 to the Carquinez Bridge.

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If you were planning on going to a county library branch in Contra Costa on Thursday, well, don’t. The county library advises that “Due to Countywide budget cuts, all Contra Costa County Libraries will be closed on Thursday, March 31. During the closure, the book drops will remain open. Renewals may be requested online or by phone. Each community library will reopen on their next regularly scheduled open day.”
The main branch of the Richmond Library at 325 Civic Center Plaza isn’t part of the county system and will be open for its regular hours of 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Thursday.

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