Crews completed welding on a section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge that failed Tuesday but the repair still needs to be tested for safety, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Transportation said today.

Officials said they still did not know when the bridge will be reopened to traffic. The bridge was closed after two rods and a 5,000-pound crossbeam fell during rush hour traffic at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Three cars were damaged and a driver suffered minor injuries. The portion that collapsed was part of a repair done over the Labor Day weekend.

That repair was made after crews discovered a cracked link during a seismic safety upgrade.

The rods that snapped held a cap over the cracked link.

The closure left commuters scrambling for alternative routes, whether that meant taking other bridges or using mass transit.