Bay Bridge Info

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE (November 20, 2012):

The vision of the world’s largest Self-Anchored Suspension Span (SAS) is a reality. The single, nearly 1-mile-long main cable now supports the weight of the bridge. Workers successfully completed the highly complex process called load transfer, which shifted the weight of the 35,200-ton decks from the temporary steel that supported them for the past few years and onto the tower, main cable and suspender ropes and main cable, which is the longest single looped suspension bridge cable in the world; the process took just under three months. The SAS, at 2,047 feet, is the world’s longest SAS and the signature element of the new East Span.

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Overview

One signature element transforms the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge into a global icon – the Self-Anchored Suspension Span (SAS). The SAS is the largest bridge of its kind anywhere in world (2,047 feet), one of many firsts. This engineering and construction marvel raises the bridge building bar to new heights.

The bridge’s single 525-foot-tall tower echoes the height of the West Span’s towers. The tower’s placement closer to the west end of the SAS creates a distinctive asymmetrical design; the single mile-long main cable will present a sharper angle on the west side but a more sloping appearance on the east.

The prime contractor building this landmark is American Bridge/Fluor (A Joint Venture). The two engineering firms bring a combined 210 years of experience to this unprecedented project. American Bridge is no stranger to the Bay Bridge; the company helped build the original bridge in 1936.