Golden Gate Photo - San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Series Gallery

Golden Gate Photo - Bay Bridge Series Gallery
Fine Art Photography of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco Bay, California.

The idea of creating a span connecting San Francisco to Oakland dates back to 1872. But it wasn't until 1934, the same year the Golden Gate Bridge construction began, that work commenced on one of the most traveled bridges in the world. It took 3 years and was completed 6 months ahead of schedule. The bridge consumed more than 6% of the total U.S. steel output in 1933. It was opened to vehicular traffic on November 12, 1936. The bridge was built entirely using public funds (government loan) for $77.6 million, which were paid off with tolls within twenty years. Twelve workers lost their lives during the construction of the bridge. Today, an average of 270,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day.

The suspension portion of the bridge (between San Francisco and Yerba Buena Island) spans 9,260 feet (2,822 meters) and crosses over the deepest section of the bay. The caissons upon which the suspension towers are built, were sunk through more than 100 feet (30 meters) of bay mud until it rested on bedrock 220 feet (67 meters) below the water at low tide. The portion of the bridge spanning from Yerba Buena Island to Oakland is a cantilever section constructed entirely of steel girders (no cables). It spans 10,176 feet (3,102 meters). Coring through Yerba Buena Island is the largest bore tunnel in the world at 76 feet (23 meters) wide, 58 feet (18 meters) high and 1,700 feet (546 meters) long.

During the surface-wave magnitude 7.1 Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989, an upper section of the cantilever portion of the bridge collapsed, closing the bridge for one month. This resulted in the decision to construct a new bridge to replace the Cantilever section. Discussions are ongoing as to the design and schedule of the replacement structure. The late local journalist Herb Caen once affectionately referred to the bridge as "The Car-Strangled Spanner".

	Sun Rays over the Bay This was taken from the top of Yerba Buena Island, looking towards Oakland across the cantilever span of the bridge. Print No. A01-42-11 More images of sun rays
	Spider Lightning and the Bay Bridge Taken during a rare electrical storm display on September 8, 1999. Spider lightning refers to the cloud-to-cloud lightning that "crawls" horizontally along the well-defined base of the clouds, in this case, right over the Bay Bridge. It was pretty awesome to watch, especially if you were in one of those airplanes whose trail of lights are barely visible behind the bridge. Taken from Treasure Island. Print No. A99-53-2. More images from this storm
	Twin Peaks View Taken from Twin Peaks, the high points seen beyond the southwest end of Market Street. This telephoto shot (500mm lens with 2XE converter for 1000mm view) compresses the downtown area, the Bay Bridge, the U.C. Berkeley campus, and the Berkeley Hills into the same view. Print No. A00-39-9
	The Fog Rolls In This is the view from Yerba Buena Island, looking west at the Downtown portion of San Francisco, with Pac Bell Park on the left and the TransAmerica Pyramid to the right. Print No. A00-12-11 More fog images from San Francisco
	Cantilever Reflection Looking east from the causeway connecting the natural Yerba Buena Island to the artificial Treasure Island, this was the view in the pre-dawn of an early April morning. The lights of the cantilever east portion of the bridge were reflected and exaggerated in the calm waters of Clipper Cove. Behind the bridge are the towering cargo cranes of the Oakland Shipyard. That's Yerba Buena (Spanish for Good Herb) Island in the shadows. Print No. A01-21-4
	Bay Bridge Fireworks This was from the May 13, 2000 show sponsored by San Francisco radio station KFOG, taken from Pier 7. Print No. A00-11-5 More fireworks images from this show

BACK TO SAN FRANCISCO GALLERY     BACK TO MAIN GALLERY

For all photograph orders, please record the Print Number and Title and refer to the Order Form. Have comments or suggestions for this website? Send Me an E-Mail