Bay Bridge Eastern Span Complete!

It has been almost 24 years since a portion of the Bay Bridge was brought down by the Loma Prieta earthquake in October 1989 and 11 years since the construction of a new Eastern span began. The new span connects Oakland to Yerba Buena Island and includes the world’s largest self-anchored suspension bridge.

To complete the final steps of connecting the new span to the Yerba Buena Island, the Bay Bridge was closed Wednesday, August 28 at 8:00 p.m. and the completed bridge was scheduled to open Tuesday, September 3 at 5:00 a.m. But the work was completed ahead of schedule, allowing the first cars to drive across the bridge shortly after 10:00 p.m. September 2.  I took my first drive across the new bridge Tuesday morning, almost exactly 12 hours after its opening. It was very exciting!

There are 5 lanes plus a shoulder for emergencies for each direction of the new span. All lanes are on the same level rather than being stacked. Approaching the curve of the span:

This clearly shows the old Eastern span of the bridge, west-bound traffic, one tower of the Western span of the bridge (Yerba Buena Island to San Francisco) and some San Francisco buildings:

Here is that engineering marvel, the suspension tower, a majestic 525 feet tall, built with four steel legs:

The light towers on the bridge use more than 48,000 LED bulbs. The new lighting will use half the energy required on the old span and are estimated to last last 5-7 times longer. Taking down the old span is estimated to take 3 years and that work is already under way. A better view of the now untraveled Eastern span:

Unobstructed views to the right show off Treasure Island in the foreground, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.

The new span is just 2.2 miles so the journey goes quickly! We’re passing through the final portion of the suspension cables, approaching the Yerba Buena Island tunnel:

And here is the tunnel; the tower on the hill is part of the U.S. Coast Guard traffic control for the San Francisco Bay:

A bike and pedestrian path taking people from Oakland to just past the bridge tower opened at noon on Tuesday. The path will connect all the way to Yerba Buena Island in 2015.

While driving across the bridge one cannot see the custom platforms built under the skyway to provide roosting for seabirds.

The new bridge is truly a marvel and a gem. It has not been without its critics, or its problems, but it is now a reality that will add its splendor to a travel destination — the beautiful Bay Area.