OAKLAND -- The deadline for bids for building the self-anchored suspension section of the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge has been extended seven weeks, until March 22, Caltrans Director Will Kempton announced Thursday.

Speaking at a news conference at California Department of Transportation offices near the Bay Bridge, Kempton said the bid opening date of Feb. 1 has been extended at the request of contract bidders to allow them more time to better prepare bids and develop their construction teams.

To help offset some of the extended time, Caltrans will reduce its bidding process from 60 days to 30 days for awarding the contract, Kempton said.

The award date of April 21 will be 20 days later than previously scheduled, he said.

Joined by Metropolitan Transportation Commission Chairman Steve Heminger and California Transportation Commission Chairman John Barna at the news conference, Kempton said he's hopeful there will be at least two bidders for the project because competition will help keep costs down.

In a previous round of bidding in 2004, one bid came in and it was nearly double Caltrans' estimate. The state rejected that bid.

Kempton said the contract for finishing the project has been extended 180 days to accommodate bidders who say they need more time to produce and approve engineering drawings, do full-scale models and address concerns about the high cost of steel needed for the bridge.

However, he said there are incentives of $50,000 a day for up to six months for contractors if they finish the work ahead of time.

Kempton said the current best-case scenario for completing the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge, which is a project aimed at making it more seismically safe, is the fall of 2013.