Canyon Road bridge between Moraga and Oakland closed indefinitely

Moraga officials shut down the Canyon Road bridge Tuesday night after the season’s rainy weather caused structural damage to the bridge. Moraga officials shut down the Canyon Road bridge Tuesday night after the season’s rainy weather caused structural damage to the bridge. Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Canyon Road bridge between Moraga and Oakland closed indefinitely 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A popular back-door route between Moraga and Oakland was closed indefinitely after officials shut down the Canyon Road bridge in Moraga amid concerns that the long-deteriorating structure could collapse from damage caused by recent storms.

The bridge over Moraga Creek — which normally carries about 6,000 cars a day — was closed to drivers, bikers and pedestrians at 7 p.m. Tuesday. A landslide and earth movement created gaps in the bridge pavement and other structural damage, and engineers determined the bridge was in danger of failing, said Moraga Police Chief Jon King.

The two-lane bridge, built in 1936, also provides access to the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail. Moreover, Canyon Road is a critical link between Moraga and the secluded community of Canyon, located in a dense redwood forest near the border of Contra Costa and Alameda counties. The community has about 100 homes, around 300 residents, a post office, a K-8 school serving 70 students and no stores.

“It has a tremendous impact on our community. We are really anxious right now,” said Gloria Faircloth, the superintendent of Canyon Elementary School and a resident since the 1970s.

Ten teenagers from Canyon attend either Campolindo High in Moraga or Miramonte High in Orinda, according to the school district. The students’ usual 10-minute ride to school now will take 40 minutes or more, requiring a long detour through Oakland and the Caldecott Tunnel on highways 13 and 24.

Though the bridge closure is frustrating and inconvenient, Faircloth said residents’ main concern is safety in case of an emergency. Canyon is served by the Moraga-Orinda Fire District and the Moraga Police Department.

King said the Oakland police and fire departments will respond if there is an urgent call for help, though the road from the Oakland hills to Canyon is narrow and winding.

It’s unclear when the bridge could reopen, King said, but the hope is that engineers will have a better idea within the next week as they study the damage.

The bridge has been tested as structurally deficient. In 2013, the city of Moraga developed plans to replace it when the roadway became eroded with giant cracks. Several of the bridge railings and posts had rotted and broken off. According to King, the $2.6 million project, funded by federal dollars and the Contra Costa County Transportation Authority, is set to begin next year.

“We are kind of in a difficult position right now because we don’t know everything we need to know,” King said. “We have a lot of people who are going to be inconvenienced and we are going to work very hard to reduce that as much as possible.”

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani