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Crews Closing Gap in Bay Bridge East Span Decks

Photos ©2011 Barrie Rokeach

October 19, 2011
The long-awaited meeting of the two halves of the under-construction Bay Bridge East Span has begun, with the final gap in the eastbound deck closed on Wednesday this week, and the final piece of the westbound deck to be placed next week. The pair of deck sections are being installed mid-Bay, at the juncture between the two halves of the East Span.

The two components of the East Span are the steel self-anchored suspension span, or SAS, and the concrete Skyway. Technically, the last two deck pieces are part of SAS, which extends east from the shores of Yerba Buena Island. With this final deck installation, the 2,047-foot SAS is joining up with the already completed Skyway that extends 1.2 miles west from the Oakland shore. The twin, side-by-side East Span roadways now will run continuously for approximately 1.5 miles.

In all, the SAS decks consist of 28 steel deck segments, all fabricated in Shanghai. The last two pieces, known as 14 east (weighing in at 1,038 tons) and 14 west (1,049 tons), will play a crucial role, as this is where the SAS main cable will anchor into the deck.

Rounding out the East Span is the Oakland touchdown, at 4,229 feet, and the Yerba Buena Island transition structure, at 1,542 feet. Both of these components are under construction.

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