Study sees 40 percent more Bay Bridge traffic by 2025

In the next two decades, Bay Bridge traffic congestion will worsen to the point where already suffering motorists could expect gridlock that rivals the Capital Beltway, the state's top transportation official warned this morning.

Transportation Secretary Robert L. Flanagan offered that ominous assessment before releasing the results of a three-year traffic study and announcing the formation of a task force to study ways to alleviate the backups.

By 2025, the number of vehicles crossing the bridge will increase more than 40 percent on weekends and weekdays, according to the study released during a news conference held at the...