Bay Bridge parks project officially greenlit, new sketches released

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The Bay Conservation and Development Commission officially approved a plan on Thursday to turn parts of the old Bay Bridge into public parks.

Work will begin shortly, and if all goes smoothly the parks will be open by next summer.

There will be two parks, one of them off of Yerba Buena Island. Droneview 7 flew over the site on Thursday.

A pier there is one of a few that remain. It was one of many that proudly held up the old Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge. The majority of these piers were imploded last year.

Droneview 7 also flew over two piers off the Oakland shoreline that have been saved.

All of these piers are being recycled and will become the "platforms" on which the parks will be built.

It's a $52 million project.

Planners have released concept sketches for the Yerba Buena park, a place where people can fish, read or ride.

Concept sketches for the Oakland park show a pedestrian walkway jutting into the bay that offers gorgeous views of the "new" Eastern Span and San Francisco.

It becomes part of a larger project for the Oakland waterfront that will connect the bike path on the new bridge to the Bay Area-wide Bike Trail.

With today's official approval by the Bay Conservation & Development Commission... Work will begin shortly, and if all goes smoothly, the twin parks should be open by next summer