What you may not know about the Bay Bridge’s history
Q Recent comments in Mr. Roadshow about the history of the Bay Bridge have been interesting. — Phil Johnson, Danville
A Yes they have. Have you anything to offer?
Q I am one of a very few who can claim that they once made a Uturn on the Bay Bridge. — Phil Johnson
A You did what? I must know more.
Q It was in the summer of 1962, as construction work was ongoing under the movable ramp in the tunnel to change bridge traffic to one-way on each level. I left Treasure Island late on a Saturday night, intending to go toward Oakland, but accidentally took the onramp to the westbound lower level.
There were two lanes of traffic in each direction on the lower deck, with construction materials stored in the center. Since traffic was very light, I made a U-turn between stacks of materials into the eastbound lanes.
At that time, the toll was 25 cents in each direction. — Phil Johnson
A Forget the cheap tolls. Your U-turn scares the whatever out of me.
Q Also interesting is that in order to allow trucks on the upper level, the roadway through the Yerba Buena tunnel had to be lowered two or three feet (you can see this as you approach the tunnel from San Francisco). It was a major effort done by replacing the tall steel I-beams with prestressed concrete beams that are not as tall (and which are still in place), beginning at the east end of the tunnel. Workers under a movable steel ramp (that allowed two-way traffic to flow on the upper level) would remove a steel Ibeam, install a concrete beam or two, and install a new section of the deck. — Phil Johnson
A Pretty impressive. Go to http:// baybridgeinfo.org/1963 for more.
Q Back in 1936 my Grandpa Hoover liv- ing in Oakland decided to drive over the Bay Bridge on opening day, Nov. 12. At that time I was enjoying free room and board in my mother’s womb and she wanted to ride along with him. He said absolutely, “No.” Having me break out of captivity in his car while on the bridge was not an event the particularly wanted to experience. He need not have worried as I did not figure out the escape route until Nov. 28. By coincidence, that was my grandpa’s birthday also. — Bob Hughes, San Jose
A Smart grandpa.
Q There were baskets where you could toss coins on the Bay Bridge, but too many folks missed the basket and then would get out of their cars and hunt for the errant coins. Now that held up traffic. — Clifford Olsen
A I bet.