Old Bay Bridge demolition reaches another milestone

Caltrans has reached another historic milestone in the removal of the original east span of the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge. Crews began lowering the first 504-foot truss span on Feb. 4, 2016.

In 1935, the building of the “504s”, as they’re called, was relatively straightforward and used disruptive piles to hold the steel frame high above the bay. The lowering and dismantling process is more complex, but also more environmentally friendly, says the Caltrans. The five 504s stretch from Pier E4 to Pier E9, extending approximately half a mile.

The weight in steel of each 504 truss to be lowered is equivalent to 2,500 tons.
“The deconstruction of the cantilever was a bold and outstanding engineering achievement and the implosion of the Pier E3 foundation was an environmental success, Caltran notes.

“Now, the lowering of the first 504-foot truss, without using a single pile, is Caltrans next environmental challenge,” explains Chief Bridge Engineer, Brian Maroney.

Day one of the project focused on severing the truss from its towers and its slow decent toward the bay below. The second day will concentrate on setting the truss down on barges and transporting it to the Port of Oakland for disassembly. Each day is expected to take anywhere from 12 to 14 hours.

A video animation showing how crews are approaching the truss removal is available at www.cdrecycler.com/video/old-bay-bridge-truss-removal.