Come See Our Hideous Slab

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 12/17/4 | Mark Morford

[ArrogantBustard]

They're either three or four lanes wide. Sometimes they'll be set up with one bridge all East (or West) bound and the other with two way traffic. Being on the two way span can be somewhat interesting.

The older span has steel guardrails, that look awfully flimsy. The newer span has Jersey Barrier guardrails ... if you have a "problem" with bridges, that would be the better choice, if a choice is available.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Pete Wilson laid out the options the mid-90's: a concret viaduct would be cheapest, but if Bay Area residents wanted to pay for it they could have a suspension or cable-stayed bridge. Bay Area politicians went for the suspension bridge, knowing it would cost more (personally, I thought the cable-stayed bridge looked a lot cooler and more modern). There was a huge fight over where to make the bridge attach to Yerba Buena island, because it potentially required the demolition of an opulent house that Willie Brown wanted to use as a "mayor's mansion". That argument delayed comencement of construction for quite a while, adding to the cost increase.

Now, in the best Bay Area tradition of "what's yours is mine", Don Perata (Democrat, gun-grabber extraordinaire) wants the suspension bridge and to make the whole state pay for it instead of the commuters who use it. Something about the Bay Area being such a special place that other Californians should be honored to help make it beautiful.

There's going to be another earthquake, and people are going to die on the old Bay Bridge. And it won't be the fault of any Democrat, you can be sure.

[Vic3O3]

Gee. I sorta figured Markie would LIKE something that would tighten his colon...rotfl!

[Charles Martel]

ROTFL, indeed. :^)

[presidio9]

Just wondering. Do British engineers working in Gay Paris need to factor earthquakes into their plans?