Having lived in the Bay Area for nearly 40 years, I avoid the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge whenever possible. Whether heading east or west, the traffic always seems to stop when going through San Francisco and Berkeley, so I take the longer San Mateo Bridge/580/680 route when traveling north to Sacramento or Reno/Tahoe. Adding to the congestion are the poor esthetics: the lower (eastbound) deck of the Bay Bridge is ugly and poorly lit and has been declared seismically unsafe, to boot.
After eleven years and an expenditure of over $6.5 billion, the first major Bay Bridge reconstruction in nearly 80 years was completed over the Labor Day weekend. Opening to great fanfare, the new Eastern span is definitely prettier and safer, but it remains to be seen whether traffic will run more smoothly. The San Mateo Bridge will still be the first choice on this person's trip planner.
 |
| The new eastern span |
 |
| The Bay Bridge western span hasn't changed...for now |
No comments:
Post a Comment