The self-proclaimed Emperor Norton was a celebrated and highly eccentric citizen of San Francisco and the first to decree, in 1872, that a suspension bridge be constructed to connect Oakland to San Francisco. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
With the increasing popularity and availability of the automobile, support continued to grow for a trans-bay crossing. In 1929, the California Legislature established the California Toll Bridge Authority with the responsibility of connecting San Francisco and Alameda County with a bridge. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
San Francisco Architect Timothy L. Pflueger and Chief Engineer C. H. Purcell are looking at a model of an approach to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 1933. Pflueger was chairman of a board of consulting architects to help with the design of the bridge, Transbay Terminal, toll booths and administrate buildings. Originally, the board wanted the bridge to be painted black to highlight its complexities, but ultimately they chose grey to "harmonize the steel and concrete elements". (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Bridge engineers (l-r) Charles E. Andrew, C. H. Purcell and Glenn Woodruff inspect the West Bay crossing of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 1933. Charles Henry Purcell was the Chief Engineer for the Bay Bridge. It was customary in that time to give credit to one engineer, but in reality not one person could have executed a project of this caliber. He relied heavily on a team of experts and an engineering committee. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
The groundbreaking ceremony took place on July 9, 1933 when construction began on the longest bridge in the world at that time. It took three years and five months to complete the Bay Bridge. The final bridge cost was approximately $77 million, $6 million under the estimated cost. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
A tugboat towed a barge to be loaded with soil from the excavation on Yerba Buena Island in 1933. Further west were the caissons for Pier 6. American Bridge was the primary contractor for the construction of the original bridge, and is also building portions of the new bridge! (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
More than 8,300 men worked on the original Bay Bridge from 1933 to 1936. The workforce was not unionized except for eight unionized crafts. The average wage was $7.75 per day, and all the workers were men. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
"So I shall never forget the day I first set foot on the Bay Bridge catwalk...nothing but a little wire mesh and a lot of open air between me and the bay below. The worst aspect was not being able to show any fear. Those steelworkers were merciless, and to preserve our self-respect we had to act nonchalant and follow along, walking those beams and planks, climbing though small holes and hanging by our teeth even though our clothes were drenched with cold sweat."- Arthur L. Elliot, Engineer. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
When steel worker Al Zampa was asked about his favorite bridge he replied, "My favorite? Bay Bridge. Jesus, look at her. Two suspensions end to end, six different kinds of bridges, 8 ¼ miles long, deepest piers in the world. We lost 24 men; we dangled up there like monkey's driving shot iron. No net. You fell, that was it. They thought we was all crazy." (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
A high steel worker named Joe Walton claimed responsibility for the myth that a man was buried in the concrete on the center anchorage. He and his friends played a prank and packed a pair of shoes into the concrete on the center anchorage, which quickly spread the rumor that someone was buried there. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
The actual cable spinning operation involved carrying wire from one anchorage to the next, over the tops of the towers. While it followed a predictable process, this operation was also among the most technically challenging, requiring the services of skilled workmen at nearly every juncture and subjecting the workmen to the greatest danger. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
There were many engineering challenges because of the physical conditions of the Bay. The center anchorage was larger than any building in San Francisco and the Yerba Buena Island tunnel was the largest bore tunnel in the world at the time. It remains the largest bore tunnel in the world. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, a creation of American industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, was established in the 1930's to help meet the construction goals set by the United States Maritime Commission during World War II. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
When the ceremonies were completed in 1936, President Roosevelt telephoned workers on two sides of the bridge to flash a green light to signal the bridge was officially open. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Five days of opening day celebrations lasted from November 11-15, 1936, including a boat parade, Navy air show, yacht regatta, Navy ship race, air parade of China Clippers, football games and more! (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
All the ceremonies were very well attended with more than one million people at the parade alone. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the opening in 1936 caused "the greatest traffic jam in the history of San Francisco". (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Miss Berkeley, International Queen, and Miss Oakland are holding the chain barrier of the bridge at the opening ceremony. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
A ticket to both opening parades cost only $2.50! (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
A float sponsored by Los Angeles County is passing by spectators in the opening day parade. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
There were numerous balls for held for the opening of the Bay Bridge. The Navy ball was held at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. Two balls were held in Oakland, one for the sailors and one for the public, which was held at the Oakland Auditorium. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Spotlights off San Francisco illuminate the sky. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
The original model of the United State half dollars in connection with the opening celebration of San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
In its first year the Bay Bridge served 9 million vehicles. The toll to cross the bridge was 65 cents in each direction, which is equivalent to $8 today! (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Motorist Jerie Deane is paying toll collector Peter Weaver at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge holiday greeting card, 1937. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Train service across the Bay Bridge began on September 23, 1938 and ended in April 1958. The upper deck carried three lanes of automobile traffic in each direction, while the lower deck carried three lanes of truck and auto traffic on the north side and two railroad tracks on the south side. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
A ticket for a vehicle to cross the Bay Bridge in 1938. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
The World's Fair Golden Gate International Exposition was originally planned as celebration of the completion of the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, but it wasn't held for nearly three years after completion. It was held on Treasure Island, which is an artificial island made from the dirt excavated from the Yerba Buena Island bore tunnel. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Peggy Marks turning a valve to begin filling a reservoir on Yerba Buena Island for the 1939 Exposition held on Treasure Island. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Bay Bridge speed limit being changed from 45 mph to 40 mph in 1950. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge safety rules issued by the California Highway Patrol in 1950. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Aerial view of the Bay Bridge in 1950. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
A ferry boat in Alameda with crowded with commuters in 1958. Before the bridge was built the ferry was the primary transportation for commuters between San Francisco and Oakland. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Passengers boarding a Key System train in 1958. The Key System consisted of local streetcar and bus lines operating solely in the East Bay, and a network of commuter rail and bus lines connecting the East Bay to San Francisco via the lower deck of the Bay Bridge. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
After the closure of the Key System the Bay Bridge was reconfigured to have five westbound lanes on the upper deck and five eastbound lanes on the lower deck. Reconstructing the double-deck roadways within Yerba Buena Island tunnel was a major engineering feat. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
The 50th anniversary celebration of the Bay Bridge began in November, 1986. The series of lights adorning the suspension cables on the West Span was added as part of the bridge's 50th anniversary celebration. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
At 5:04 p.m. on October 17, 1989, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Bay Area. The upper deck at pier E9 on the Bay Bridge failed and crashed into the lower deck, also causing the lower deck to fail. The suspension bridge on the West Span is inherently more flexible and was able to withstand the earthquake. It was the rigid structure of the truss bridge on the East Span that made it more susceptible to failure. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
The Bay Bridge Troll was placed on the Bay Bridge during repairs after the 1989 earthquake as a symbol of protection. A group of ironworkers affixed the 18-inch sculpture without knowledge or consent from Caltrans, and it was later discovered by a maintenance worker. It is said to be created by a local Bay Area blacksmith. The troll first came to the public's attention on January 15, 1990 when the San Francisco Chronicle ran a story about the small figure of a troll with a spud wrench that had been welded to the iron below the upper deck on the north side of the bridge. When the original east span is demolished, the troll will be relocated. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Construction began on the new Bay Bridge. The West Span would be retrofitted through reinforcement and the East Span would be replaced entirely with a new design, including the world's longest Self-Anchored Suspension Span. The new Bay Bridge is scheduled for completion in 2013 and cost an estimated total of $6.3 billion dollars making it one of the largest public works projects in US history. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Faulty shear key bolts. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Workers prepare the concrete cap beam for steel saddle installation. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Drilling into concrete cap beam. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Model of the steel saddle fix; steel tendons will be covered with concrete. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Bay-level view of Pier E2. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Sparks fly during installation of tubes placed at ends of steel anchor rods under concrete cap beam. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Getting measurements and checking template on bearing. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
View of Pier E2 and construction elevator. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Replacement bolt. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)
Drilling the bottom of the concrete cap beam and installing dowels. (Photo courtesy baybridgeinfo.org)