Weekend Reflection: Bay Bridge

Last week I was on Treasure Island for the monthly antiques fair.  The weather was glorious and the killer views could not be beat.  The new eastern span of the bridge is progressing, with the gigantic support tower now in place.  The Oakland hills are in the background.  Note the four catwalks at a steep 45∘angle to the tower.  Bridge workers must have nerves of steel to climb these structures.  The new span connects to Yerba Buena Island where it joins the suspension section that goes to San Francisco. The new section will also be a suspension bridge and is scheduled to open next year.  Check out the bridge website for all kinds of fascinating information.  Since a bike lane is included in the design, I hope we'll be able to walk on the new bridge.  This photo is doing double duty this week and is linked to Weekend Reflections and Sunday Bridges.

Sunday Bridges: bridge to Coast Guard Island

I finally found another bridge.  This one goes from Union Point to the Coast Guard Island that sits in the middle of the estuary.  The rubble and tracks are detritus from a long abandoned warehouse loading dock.  I'm surprised no one has dug up the metal tracks to recycle them.  There's money in them thar rubble.  Check out «Louis'» meme for more bridge shots.

Sunday Bridge Series: Glen Echo Creek resurfaces

Here's another pedestrian bridge over Glen Echo Creek on Richmond St.  This one has a pergola covered entrance that looks pretty old.  Several redwoods dot the woodland.  The creek stays above ground for about .3 of a mile in a small valley that opens to a vale before it goes under ground again.  Then out of no where are the support piers for the 580 freeway and we're back in urban civilization.  Taken a few days ago  before the current rain storms.  For more bridge views, visit «Louis'» meme, Sunday Bridges.

Sunday Bridge Series: link to the estuary

Lake Merritt is a tidal basin fed by the tides in the estuary.  This water way is the link between the lake and the estuary.  It runs through the community college campus, under the Nimitz freeway, and on to the estuary.  Not exactly a picturesque connection, but a vital one.  Submitted to «Louis'» meme where you will find more bridge photos.

footbridge over the creek

I decided to take a small street off Broadway to see where it lead.  Much to my surprise it turned into several woodland blocks where Glen Echo Creek runs above ground.  The sun was setting and I was barely able to capture workmen repairing a foot bridge over the creek.  The houses along this street are a funny mix of 1970s apartment buildings, and brown shingles from the early 1900s,  I couldn't believe that this quiet, rural setting still exists in our urban landscape.  In Sonoma County, maybe.  But Uptown Oakland?  For more bridges, visit «Louis'» Sunday Bridges series.

Sunday Bridge Series: Oakland ferry

This is the dock for the ferry to San Francisco from Jack London Square.  The trip takes about 35 minutes and makes a quick stop in Alameda before it heads to the SF Ferry Building.  While wandering about I was happy to see a (foot) bridge for «Louis'» Sunday Bridges meme.  For views of bridges around the world, click here.

lower deck of the Bay Bridge

It ain't pretty, but it's the real deal.  This is what it looks like driving across the Bay Bridge going east to Oakland. For now.  Once the new bridge is completed, the eastern side will be a single decker.  I thought black and white would intensify the industrial feel of this engineering marvel.  For more bridges world wide, visit «Louis'» meme the Sunday Bridge Series.

Sunday Bridge Series: MLK Shoreline Park

This was taken at MLK Shoreline Park in East Oakland.  This bridge crosses a slough that branches off the estuary.  Nesting herons can be found nearby.  Do you think this child needs safety instructions about about how to safely cross a bridge?  For more shots of bridges, visit «Louis'» Sunday Bridge meme.

This is an automated post.  I'll  be traveling and probably won't have much access to computers to comment on your blogs.  See you October 1.

Sunday Bridge Series: Park Street bridge

This is a long view of the Park Street bridge that I've previously shown you here, here, and here.   this is one of a number of drawbridges on the estuary that runs into the bay.  The green frog on the far right advertises a restaurant that offers a happy hour mai tai at a cheap price.  For more bridge photos, visit «Louis'» meme, the Sunday Bridge Series.

Sunday Bridge Series: bridge of sighs

With the institutional design and the arrow slit windows, what else could this be?  The local jail, of course.  The bridge leads to the Superior Court.  And that pink building in the corner?  That's the well-known Mexicali Rose restaurant.  All on 7th Street.  For more bridge photos, visit «Louis'» Sunday Bridges meme.

This is an automatic post.  I'm traveling and will likely have restricted access to computers to comment on your blogs.  Back in town on October 1.

Sunday Bridge Series: MLK Shoreline Park

This shoreline near the airport demonstrates the curative powers of a restored marshland.  It is a beautiful place to walk or have a picnic.  This walkway allows you a close-up look at the marsh ecology.  Quiet despite the nearby freeway, the nesting terns and ground squirrels couldn't be happier.  For views of other bridges, visit «Louis'» meme Sunday Bridge Series.

Sunday Bridge Series: a river (of paperwork) runs through it

A pedestrian bridge joins the two towers of the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building.  Dellums is our former congressman and current mayor.  It has over a million square feet of office space, houses over 2000 workers, and was built to be as energy efficient as possible for the times.  It was a welcome addition to the skyline when built in 1993 and is easily spotted from afar.  It anchors a complex of government and private business office space collectively called City Center.  For a wide array of other bridges, visit «Louis'» meme Sunday Bridges.  Better yet, post a bridge of your own.

Sunday Bridge Series: Oakland Bay Bridge

This is the suspension side of the bridge which runs from Yerba Buena Island to San Francisco.  This shot was taken from Treasure Island.  TI was built from the soil dredged for the construction of the Bay Bridge.  The Island was the site for the 1939 World's Fair.  As you can imagine, it offers killer views of the City and the East Bay.  Now that the island has been demilitarized, the debate about how best to use the land rages on.  For more bridge views from around the world, visit «Louis La Vache's» Sunday Bridge Series.

Sunday Bridge Series: near the Bridgeview trail head

Only a few feet from the Warren freeway, which runs the length of the Oakland hills, is a trail head that leads through Dimond Canyon to Dimond Park.  I followed it for a bit and found this little bridge crossing what I think is Sausal Creek.  The trail descends steeply and cuts through redwood stands, wild berry brambles, and fern groves.  Oakland has a number of these natural preserves that survive in the midst of a decidedly urban setting.  I assume the bridge in "Bridgeview" is not the little footpath seen here.  Another day I'll follow the trail to its end and get a shot of the bridge it refers to.  For an array of bridges from around the world, visit «Louis'» Sunday Bridges Series.

Sunday Bridge Series: Oakland Bay Bridge

Here's a shot of the Bay Bridge looking east toward Oakland.  I took it today from Yerba Buena Island where the eastern and western sections are anchored.  This side is slated for demolition once the new eastern span is finally completed.  You can see part of the new span just beyond the original.  It's only taken 20 years and zillions of dollars more than initially anticipated (since the 1989 earthquake damage) to get this far.  The actual construction process has been interesting to follow and the new bridge will ultimately have some engineering and design innovations.  For every detail you could possibly want to know about the new construction, click here.  For more bridges from around the world visit «Louis'» Sunday Bridge Series.  Have a happy 4th.

Sunday Bridge Series: Fruitvale Bridge

Work is being done on the Fruitvale Bridge which crosses the estuary to Alameda.  For some reason the road bed is up for an undetermined amount of time.  It's quite a sight.  For other bridges around the globe, visit «Louis'» bridge meme.  If you have a bridge photo of your own, come join us.

Sunday Bridge Series: Glen Echo Creek

As stated in an earlier post, Glen Echo Creek surfaces above ground several places on its way from the hills to the bay.  One of the longest stretches runs for several blocks just off of Piedmont Avenue, a busy shopping district.  The creek wends its way through a small park, behind houses and a senior citizen complex, and along public paths before it goes underground again.  Neighbors volunteer to maintain the creek bed and restore plants native to the riparian community.  The cyclone fence borders Monte Vista Avenue that bridges the creek.  The culvert that runs under the street seems to represent both tunnel and bridge at the same time.  For more bridge photos from around the world, visit «Louis La Vache's» Sunday Bridge meme.

urban creek

This is Glen Echo Creek where it surfaces in Adams Park along side the Veterans Memorial Building across from Lake Merritt.  I've driven past this intersection (Grand and Harrison) a zillion times never realizing this little strip of green contains a stream.  It's startling to find such a country scene in the middle of a high traffic zone.  The creek runs down from the hills, every so often popping up above ground for a few blocks, before it goes underground again.  This engineered channel contains the creek for a block or so until it goes under Grand Avenue.  But before it goes underground, it flows under this old timey-looking bridge.  You see where I'm going with this, right?  A reflection and a bridge can only mean that I'm submitting this photo to two memes this weekend.  For more reflections and bridges from around the world, please visit James' Weekend Reflections and «Louis'» Sunday Bridge Series.  And have a great weekend.

Sunday Bridge Series: High Street Bridge

This is the High Street Bridge, one of three bridges connecting Oakland to the island community of Alameda.  (There's also the Posey Tube that goes under the Estuary to Alameda).  This drawbridge has a similar design to the Park Street Bridge, although it was built four years later (1939).  See other bridge photos, hosted weekly by San Francisco Bay DP.

the Park Street bridge

The Park Street bridge which links Oakland to Alameda.  View other Sunday bridge photos at San Francisco Daily Photo.