Bay Bridge is falling down ...

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State highway officials say high winds and traffic vibrations caused a patch on the cantilevered section of the San Francisco Bay Bridge to fail. That's scary.

Three sections of the support system crashed onto the roadway of the bridge's eastern span, hitting three cars during Tuesday's evening commute.

Authorities immediately closed the Bay Area's busiest bridge to traffic; as of late Thursday afternoon, they were still unsure when the bridge would reopen. But reopening the bridge cannot be the end of the inquiry by highway officials.

Traffic vibrations are a constant presence for this bridge and high winds are common.

Officials say workers failed to properly reinforce the crack that was found and repaired during the Labor Day bridge closure. How could that happen? The crack, found during a federally mandated structural inspection, took highway officials by surprise. It was discovered just as crews were preparing to install a 288-foot S-turn, part of the Bay Bridge's seismic upgrade. Repair crews worked 70 hours nonstop to get the bridge reopened following the Labor Day closure. Looking back, highway officials must wonder if getting the job done quickly sacrificed safety and thoroughness. Much harsher winds will blow if state officials don't get to the bottom of this serious mishap and take steps to prevent a similar one in the future.