Bridge traffic light following threat warning to West Coast

SAN FRANCISCO -- National Guardsmen with M-16s and Humvees patrolled the Golden Gate and other California bridges Friday, and traffic across the spans was lighter than usual as a warning of terrorist attacks shifted the nation's anxiety from the East Coast to the West.

Gov. Gray Davis went public Thursday with the FBI's warning that Western suspension bridges could be targets over the next few days.

"There's no way I'd drive over the Bay Bridge," said film editor Stephanie Challberg, one of many who took the subway instead. "On my way home last night, I thought I was going to pass out."

There were no reported problems at the four bridges Davis named: the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Vincent Thomas Bridge at the Port of Los Angeles and San Diego's Coronado Bridge.

Davis shocked many commuters -- and a few law enforcement officials -- with his announcement that the government had "credible evidence" that terrorists may be plotting to attack bridges.

The FBI later confirmed the threat but said it was uncorroborated. Attorney General John Ashcroft said the warning had only "relative credibility."

Davis said he felt he had an obligation to warn the public. "If I failed to share that information and God forbid something went wrong, I'd be kicking myself," the governor said.

President Bush said he supported Davis' decision to warn the public.

"I think any governor should be able to conduct their business the way they see fit," Bush said. He said the homeland defense program should enable governors to "harden targets, respond to uncorroborated evidence and to protect their people."

The FBI alert was sent to law enforcement agencies in eight Western states, warning that "unspecified groups are targeting suspension bridges on the West Coast."

'It's kind of weird'

For the first time since the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, the nation's fears shifted to the West Coast.

"I'm angry that I'm feeling anxious and afraid," said Constance Kilgore, who commutes by bus across the Golden Gate Bridge from Sonoma into San Francisco. "Every time I cross the bridge I think about the terrorists and the way they are going to do it."

"I've never, ever, ever felt unsafe in any part of San Francisco," DiDi Simon said as she stepped out of a downtown subway station. "It's kind of weird to have so much attention shifted to the West Coast."

In Oregon and Washington, the alert triggered additional security precautions at some of the most heavily traveled bridges, including Washington's Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber said the Coast Guard would be checking underneath his state's bridges more often.

Pedestrians and cyclists are still allowed on the Golden Gate Bridge, but several trails approaching the bridge have been closed.