As we come to the end of 2014, I want to take a little time to reflect on three major “maintenance” projects finally completed in the Bay Area.
We are all very fortunate to live in this beautiful slice of the world. That being said, it takes a lot of work to keep this beautiful, bustling place in proper working order. And three of the largest projects that have been under construction during the last decade, or more, are finally complete! Yes, for those of you sticklers out there, they were technically finished last year – but now they’re all in full swing, and it really feels like it..
“It was very cool to be underneath in a boat while both bridges sat side by side – the old one waiting to be towed away.”
1. THE BAY BRIDGE
Projected cost: $1.3 billion estimated in 1996 to more than $6.3 billion today. Actual cost: Reports vary, but over $6.5 billion is the undisputed figure. Funding: Over 70% of the costs are expected to be covered by bridge tolls. Interesting: This is the world’s widest bridge!For over 50 years, since it’s completion in 1936, the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge has served us well. In 1989, however, the Loma Prieta earthquake changed this when a large part of the East Span collapsed onto the bottom section. We all remember how awful it was when the Cypress structure fell, and what an eye opener it was. We had to not only fix things, but to prevent such an awful tragedy from happening again. After all, this is California, and there will always be another earthquake.
After the earthquake it was determined that both the western section (that runs from San Francisco to Yerba Buena Island) and the eastern section (that connects to Oakland) needed expensive seismic improvements. But while everyone agreed that something had to be done, there was little agreement about exactly what – and how. The initial plan was to simply retrofit the current bridge – until another large earthquake hit in 1994 and engineers and politicians began considering a complete re-build of both sections of the bridge.
Discussions (or debate, depending on your POV), took place for eleven long years, until 2005, when actual construction finally began. (For information on the financing of the bridge and how the construction of the Bay Bridge “went from a pretty big infrastructure project to an enormous one,” read this article in Transportation Nation.)
“This project has outlived many a political career, including those of San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and Governor Gray Davis, and countless other legislators from the Bay Area and in Sacramento. Most of the officials who green-lit the project are long gone.” – Patricia Decker and Robert Porterfield, San Francisco Public Press
When Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor, he couldn’t seem to get a handle on things and was overwhelmed with the increasing cost of the project. One of the contributing factors to the surging project cost was because the price of steel continued to rapidly increase (over 50% since the inception of the project) and therefore, so did the price of the bid. I even remember reading about how construction was so massive in Dubai at the time that cranes were hard to come by! Yep. Weird but true.
Then, while we were fussing about the entire thing, France did it better: cheaper and quicker.
“With its tallest tower soaring more than 1,000 feet above the deepest part of the Tarn Valley of southern France, the world’s highest bridge is an airy confection of light-colored steel and concrete, a source of French pride and more than a little Bay Area envy.
“As California politicians spar over the cost, timetable and aesthetics of a prosaic redesign plan for the Bay Bridge’s new eastern span, their French counterparts are crowing over their dazzling new Millau bridge — completed a month ahead of its three-year construction schedule and costing a relatively modest $522 million compared with the estimated $5 billion Bay Bridge price tag. “ – Elizabeth Bryant, SF Chronicle article, “A Tale of Two Bridges.”
I couldn’t help thinking – why can’t we ever do that in any of these Bay Area projects?
One way or another, we eventually managed. Late and over-budget, yes, but finished.
And the Bay Bridge is beautiful – very modern looking, clean and white, and especially lovely when lit up at night. Perhaps most importantly, this one is designed to withstand the big quake that will eventually hit, and hit hard.
We’ve had some hiccups since it’s completion; the bolts are all messed up (since the seams weren’t properly sealed), and water has been seeping in, corroding things…but we’re working on it. Sigh.
Was it worth it? Financially we may never know. Much will depend on how long it lasts (projections are around 150 years) and how many repairs it needs. Time will tell.
2. DEVIL’S SLIDE (Tom Lantos Tunnels)
Projected cost: $240 million
Actual: $439 million
I grew up in Carmel, and made endless trips up and down the coast along the gorgeous and scenic Highway 1, so yes, I’ve seen the occasional landslide! However, it was up here in the Bay Area where it seemed the road was always out: this promontory crumbling off the sheer cliffs and into the sea at Devil’s Slide. This section is a critical part of California’s gorgeous Route 1 that connects Pacific and Montera, and ever since I can remember, seemed to fall off every dang winter. (The very name describes the situation – hello!)
The road was completed in 1937 but just three years later there was a major landslide. Things carried on this was for the next 73 years, with traffic continually interrupted by closures.
After years of discussion about what to do, in 2006 voters finally decided to pony up and build the tunnels. This beat out the idea of a road that diverted inland.
As is our way, guess how it went? Initially the project was supposed to take four years, but it ended up taking seven. And yes, it ended up costing almost double the initial proposed amount. According to Nien Wang, project manager for design contractor HNTB Corp., “seismic concerns, along with few existing standards and regulations, made it a particularly challenging project.”
As is our way, as well, it did turn out beautifully, though.
In 2014 we were finally able to enjoy this fantastic little stretch of Route 1.
“The $439 million project, paid with federal emergency funds, features massive exhaust fans, carbon monoxide sensors and a pair of 1,000-foot bridges soaring 125 feet above a grassy horse ranch. A series of 10 fireproof shelters are staggered between the double bores, and remote cameras dangle from the ceiling, monitored by an around-the-clock safety staff of 15.” – Martha Mendoza, Huffingon Post
3. THE CALDECOTT TUNNEL
Projected cost: $420 million
Actual: $417 million
The Caldecott tunnel connects Oakland with its northern neighbor, Orinda, and is a major passageway through the Berkeley Hills. Originally, in 1937, there were only two bores. In 1964 a third was added to reduce traffic…but we have a lot more traffic than we did then!
Traffic has been increasing steadily for years, and has become a real glut during business hours. Weary commuters returning from their SF workdays would sit and wait for their turn in the four lanes through the tunnel and back into Contra Costa County.
And traffic wasn’t the only consideration.
There have been car fires within the tunnels over time, but the most horrific of them happened just after midnight on April 7, 1982, when an AC Transit bus clipped a stalled car in the northernmost bore. It then struck a double-tanker truck filled with 8,800 gallons of gasoline. The tanker jack-knifed, the fuel poured out and a fireball erupted. Seven people died.
The state began restricting tankers carrying hazardous materials to using the tunnel between 3 and 5 a.m., but the new tunnel bores also have big exhaust fans on the ceiling. Cool looking and reassuring in the awful case of another fire, they’re a welcome sight.
By the year 2000, the state began planning the fourth bore. Of course, it wasn’t until 2007 that the funding was approved… and then three years later construction finally began. The construction took another three years and finally opened last year.
Long awaited, this fourth bore has eliminated the need for that truck that would come around twice a day to change the direction of traffic for the middle bore from west to east and back again (i.e. the “pop-up” lane control).
And, brace yourselves: this project came under budget! See? It can happen. According to the Caldecott Fourth Bore Project, “Thanks to favorable market conditions the construction bids were lower than anticipated. The currently programmed budget for design, administration and construction of the overall Fourth Bore Project, which includes four construction contracts, is $417 million.”
After waiting thirteen years for that fourth bore I am delighted that it is finally finished, and so are my clients!
Now I can’t help but notice that when I’m heading back to Oakland through the tunnel, it seems everyone angles to get into the right lanes, just so they can go through the new bore! Part of it might be because it’s pretty cool looking, passing under those big fans that resemble jet engines.
The new bores are a welcome addition to our East Bay, offering a big pressure valve release for traffic, and more safety, too.