The Bay Bridge will be shut down to westbound motorists over the long Presidents Day weekend in February.

The closure is necessary to held speed up the opening date of the rebuilt eastern span of the Bay Bridge, according to bridge spokesman Bart Ney. If the work is successful, the eastern span of the bridge could be open to traffic in both directions by 2013.

Depending on whether it rains, the work could take two to three days to complete. Ney said that BART and local ferry providers have been alerted of the upcoming closure.

Presidents Day weekend runs from Friday, Feb. 18 to Monday, Feb. 20.

wreisman@sfexaminer.com