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Work on the West Approach is one o a series o seismic saety projects to strengthen the B

Bridge. Seismic retrot work on the bridges West Span was completed in 2004. Work to complet

replace the original eastern span started in 2002. Replacing it will be a dramatic Sel-Anchor

Suspension (SAS) span, a 1.2-mile long Skyway and a touchdown near the Oakland Toll Plaza

temporary transition structure at Yerba Buena Island will be required, to allow trafc to saely u

the existing bridge and tunnel while the tie-in to the new bridge is completed. Ater these seism

saety projects are completed, the original eastern span will be demolished.

Seismic safety work involves completelyremoving and replacing this one-mile sectionof freeway in its original footprint, as 280,000

vehicles continue to travel over it each day!

PROJECT OVERVIEWhe West Approach reers to a one-mile stretch

Interstate 80 linking San Francisco to the Bay

ridge. It is delineated by Fith Street and the

an Francisco anchorage on Beale Street. Seis-

mic saety work on the West Approach involves

ompletely removing and replacing this one-

mile section o reeway in its original ootprint,

s 280,000 vehicles continue to use the bridge

ach day!

Key Facts

ProjectStartDate:2003

AnticipatedCompletionDate:2009

ConstructionContractor:Tutor-SalibaCorporation

YearthattheSanFrancisco-OaklandBayBridgeopenedtotrafc:1936

West Approach West Span Yerba Buena IslandTransition

SAS Skyway OaklaTouchd

As part o this $429 million retrot-by-replace-

ment project to rebuild the West Approach, the

double-deck roadways rom 3rd Street to the an-

chorage are being rebuilt so that each deck will

have independent columns and oundations.

CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTSO the many seismic retrot projects planned

or the Bay Bridge, eorts to rebuild the West

Approach occur in the most densely populated

area. Some o the work, which has mobilized

enormous demolition and construction equip-

ment rom all over the country, takes place within

eet (or even inches!) o apartment buildings and

ofces South o Market Street in San Francisco. In

an eort to keep trafc moving and to minimize

neighborhood disruptions, the project is being

perormed through a series o six highly complex

phases o demolition and construction.

A WHOLE NEW APPROACH

A one-mile stretch o I-80 approaching thebridge, and two on- and three o-ramps, will be

demolished and completely rebuilt. The work

West Approach

For more information aout the West Approach, visit www.ayridgeinfo.org

F A C T S H E E T

required to rebuild the West Appr

is being perormed through elabor

choreographed stages, as each se

o the one-mile reeway is demol

and rebuilt one section at a time. To

sure public saety, the work oten req

major lane recongurations, trafc s

and temporary deck closures. Vehicle

detoured onto temporary roadways a

original structures are demolished an

built. When the new structures are pleted, trafc is once again shited an

temporary structure is demolished.

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SCHEDULING IS KEYMost o the major demolition and construc-

on work is scheduled at a time when it will

e least disruptive to the 280,000 vehicles

rossing the bridge each day. However, as

with any project o this magnitude, trafc

ackups and neighborhood impacts are likely

o occur. Bridge builders continue to go to ex-reme lengths to minimize these impacts by

cheduling work over weekends and at night.

ometimes it means consolidating work into

condensed time rame. Oten, hundreds o

workers must toil around-the-clock to get the

ob done beore heavy commute-hour trafc

egins.

LAbOR DAY CLOSUREhe most challenging work on the West Ap-

roach occurred over Labor Day weekend in

006, when a 1,000-oot segment o roadway

n the upper deck was removed in just 77

ours. The roadway is being replaced with

new, seismically upgraded structure. This

required the erection o a system o steel

beams and columns to support 400 eet o

the lower deck; the removal o steel and con-

crete reinorcements, including 25-ton struc-

tural steel bolsters and 22-ton steel columns;

the processing o concrete and steel; and the

removal o many tons o debris. Extensive

plans were also made or dust control, saety

monitoring, milestone tracking, and risk mitiga-

tion. The work also involved the cooperation

o numerous transportation agencies, airports,

emergency service providers and many cities

and counties.

KEEPING EVERYONE INFORMEKeeping neighbors, motorists, and the

eral public inormed has been key d

major demolition and construction wo

the West Approach. Outreach eorts inc

community meetings, door-to-door can

ing, the stafng o a project hotline, mai

public service announcements, and m

and legislative outreach.

The work on the West Approach over L

Day weekend required the projects mos

tensive outreach campaign, beginning s

al weeks in advance o the closure and i

siying as it neared. The campaign exte

rom Mendocino to Bakerseld. It incl

television, radio, and print announcem

the distribution o nearly one million

sheets to airports, hotels, hospitals and o

venues; and extensive canvassing o res

tial and commercial neighborhoods.Because o this comprehensive public outr

motorists avoided the bridge over Labor

weekend, and workers were able to nis

enormous task on time!

Bike and pedestrian path to Yerba Buena Island

PS0304

bAY bRIDGE PUbLIC INFORMATION OFFICE311 Burma Road, Oakland, CA 94607

Tel: (510) 286-7167email: ino@baybridgeino.org

This is one in a series o act sheets availableon the San Francisco-Oakland Bay BridgeSeismic Saety Projects published by the