Bay Bridges

The San Francisco and San Pablo Bays have a number of bridge crossings. I was fortunate enough today to be called on an unplanned trip from my home in Sacramento to Redwood City - not far from my home town. There are many ways to get from here to there, and at least two don't involve any major bridges at all. Indeed, if I was in a hurry, I probably would have chosen one of these routes. But I wasn't... and I made a few stops along the way. I should add that my friend Carmi and his recent post of the Golden Gate Bridge served to motivate me to revisit these structures.



This is the Carquinez Bridge. The cantilever bridge in the center was the first major bridge in the Bay Area. It was built in 1927 and is currently being demolished (the portion closest has already been removed... only the pier is left). The suspension bridge was completed in 2003 to replace it. The other cantilever bridge was completed in 1958 and served eastbound traffic. Since 1958, the old bridged served westbound only until it was replaced by the suspension bridge.



And this, of course, is the Golden Gate Bridge. It was taken from the parking lot of Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley. That's all I'm going to say - this bridge can speak for herself.



This is the Catilever portion of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. This is the section that was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The new bridge under construction will eventually replace it. It is way behind schedule and way over budget.



And finally, the suspension portion of the Bay Bridge. Although she sometimes languishes in the shadow of her world famous neighbor to the north and west, this bridge is every bit as impressive - and just as important. This shot, the previous and the next were all taken from the Treasure Island Naval Base.



Y'all know where this is!