Oakland, California -Facing criticism amid its announcement that the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge will not open by Labor Day as originally scheduled, Caltrans is now considering several options to appease irate commuters who rely on the bridge for their daily trek to and from San Francisco. Earlier, top engineering experts have said that the new span will not withstand even a 5.0 earthquake due to the faulty bolts.

Caltrans said it is re-evaluating whether it is even worth it to continue with the construction of the new span. Apparently, replacing the faulty bolts will cost as much as it has already spent in building the new bridge. Caltrans declined to reveal a dollar amount.

The second option is to retrofit the old span and add rainbow-colored lights to the bridge that would create a spectacular view of the old structure at night and on foggy days.

The third option which is currently being negotiated is to station three Carnival Cruise ships in the Bay Area to ferry passengers between Oakland and San Francisco during heavy commute times.  Carnival Cruises is reportedly very interested in the Caltrans proposal considering problems the shipping lines has had in the past year.  As a result of accidents at sea as well as fire and electrical problems, Carnival Cruises has been losing business. Caltrans said this third option might work well for San Francisco and Oakland commuters given their party and fun-loving nature.

It wasn’t clear whether  the final decision by Caltrans would require approval by Bay Area voters through a ballot initiative.