Old Bay Bridge Demolition Concludes, Remaining Piers Repurposed for Public Access- Saturday, September 8, 2018

State of California • Department of Transportation

NEWS RELEASE

Date: September 5, 2018
District: 04 - Bay Area
Contact: Alejandro Lopez
Phone: (510) 286-5445

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Old Bay Bridge Demolition Concludes, Remaining Piers
Repurposed for Public Access


OAKLAND — On September 8, Caltrans will implode two marine foundations of the original San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge east span. This final implosion event will culminate Caltrans’ removal of the marine foundations of the old Bay Bridge and will mark the end of the demolition of the original east span.

The removal of two additional piers is the next step toward repurposing four remaining marine foundations for public access improvements. One pier along Yerba Buena Island will be converted into an observation platform and 140-foot long boardwalk. Three others on the Oakland shoreline will serve as the foundation for a 600-foot long boardwalk.

“Once again, Caltrans has developed an innovative project that will convert a segment of existing infrastructure into a public asset,” said Caltrans Director Laurie Berman. “The overlook and promenade will provide visitors with an up close appreciation of the bay.”

Caltrans designed the implosion process to have the smallest impact on the environment. As with the previous implosions, the team will conduct environmental monitoring before, during and after each previous blast to evaluate any impacts to water quality, marine mammals, fish, and birds. All implosions were scheduled during the months of September through November, when the least number of fish and marine mammals are in the area.

 
Caltrans continues to work with the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the U.S. Coast Guard, and local law enforcement agencies to ensure the public safety of motorists, boaters, bicyclists, and pedestrians. CHP will initiate traffic rolling closures lasting up to 30 minutes on Interstate 80 eastbound and westbound approaching the Bay Bridge on the day of the implosion.

As part of the site safety preparations, the Bay Bridge Bike Pedestrian Path will be closed from Wednesday through Saturday morning. It will reopen shortly after the implosion is complete.

Information the Bike Pedestrian Path may be found at www.baybridgeinfo.org.

The best place to watch the upcoming implosions will be on http://www.dot.ca.gov/oldbaybridgedemolition/
Or by following #BayBridgeDemo on Twitter and Facebook.

Tentative Schedule for the Implosions of the Original Bay Bridge Marine Foundations - Piers E19 through E20 – September 8, 2018

Potential Weekend Dates

Dates and times may change during the planned weekend due to weather, presence of marine animals, and other conditions

Marine Piers Implosion Windows
September 8 11:00 AM- 1:00 PM
September 8 Reserve 5:30 PM
September 9 Reserve 12:45 PM

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