I caught Megabuilders on Discovery Channel the other day titled “Quake-Proofing and Icon” about the construction of the new eastern span replacement of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. I thought it was pretty interesting and thought I would check it out at Wikimapia. (Images are clickable for larger versions.)
The Bay Bridge connects San Francisco and Oakland through two different sections. After the big earthquake in 1989 one of the sections on the eastern span (built in the 1930s) collapsed. This necessitated an earthquake retrofitting.
It was decided that a retrofit to the existing bridge would not be feasible so plans for a new eastern span were put in motion.
Here you can see the construction of the new bridge and the location of the collapsed (and repaired) section of the old bridge.
There are two sets of pylons being constructed next to the old Bay Bridge.
A bit closer in on the construction.
Another group of pylons.
A slightly different view from Google Earth.
And another from Google Earth.
You can visit the eastern span of the Bay Bridge at Wikimapia or check out NewBayBridge.org, the construction website.