Hey, it's a bridge!

[owlmoose]

The new eastern span of the Bay Bridge opened around 10pm last night, about 7 hours ahead of schedule. (Or 20 years behind schedule, depending on how you count it.) We drove over it and back about half an hour after it opened because, well, how could we not? After 24 years -- the first talk of rebuilding the new span began in 1988, even before the old eastern span was damaged in the 1989 earthquake -- numerous delays, and 6.4 billion dollars, you better believe I wanted a look at that thing as soon as I could. Next stop: driving over it in daylight, for some of those views they keep talking up.

Comments

[sarasa_cat]

Yay! 7 hours ahead of schedule after a 20 year wait. ;D

Oh, public works and transportation projects... why must they end up slower than molasses far too often?

I didn't realize that the Bay Area had to engage in a massive bridge rebuild after the '89 earthquake. What was the state of the Bay Bridge over the past 20+ years? Was it partly open for reduced traffic, or completely closed, or open while structurally unsound?