You can walk all the way across the Golden Gate Bridge again. The east sidewalk has been blocked since September for seismic retrofit work, but according to the Bridge district the work wrapped up seven weeks ahead of schedule, and pedestrians and bicyclists can once again get from from Marin County to San Francisco. Workers are putting up some scaffolding for painting, and while that’s going on they may have to occasionally interrupt bikers and walkers for as long as 15 minutes during the week. That’s expected to last until December 15th.

Here’s what the Bridge has to say:

SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS

Tuesday, November 15, 2011 through Friday, November 18, the EAST SIDEWALK REMAINS PARTIALLY CLOSED (as it has been since September 2011 for the seismic retrofit construction at the north anchorage) while work crews will begin installation of a 400-foot-long section of fixed scaffolding at midspan on the EAST side main cable along the EAST sidewalk as preparation for main cable painting. Visitors may still access portions of the EAST sidewalk from the north end (to a point about 700 feet onto the sidewalk from the north) or the south end (as far north as the south tower), but through access is not an option.

Saturday, November 19, 2011, EAST SIDEWALK REOPENS to through access from one end of the Bridge through to the other end as the seismic retrofit work at the north anchorage housing East sidewalk removal and reconstruction is wrapping up seven weeks ahead of schedule.

Saturday, November 19, 2011, BICYCLISTS RETURN TO REGULAR USE PATTERNS which are: weekends: bikes are on the west sidewalk and on weekdays bikes are on east sidewalk all hours except 3:30 pm to sunset they are on the west sidewalk.

Monday, November 21, 2011, BICYCLISTS ARE BACK TO REGULAR WEEKDAY EAST SIDEWALK USE HOURS, they will be impacted by the scaffolding installation described above under #1 through approximately December 15, 2011. During this period, on WEEKDAYS only, from 7 am to 3:30 pm, at intermittent times that cannot be scheduled in advance, work crews will hold all sidewalk traffic (both pedestrian and bikes) wishing to travel through the work zone for up to 15 minutes at a time. The 15 minute hold periods will be followed by 5 minute periods for pedestrian and bicycle traffic to pass through the work zone and then hold again for another 15 minutes. Appropriate signs will be posted and flaggers will be on the EAST sidewalk to conduct temporary holds.