Middle Harbor Shoreline Park near Oakland in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
The Oakland - San Francisco Bay Bridge
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, October 29, 2020
1. The Oakland - San Francisco Bay Bridge Marker
The Bay Bridge is really two bridges, one an eastern span between Yerba Buena Island and Oakland, the other a western span between between the Island and San Francisco. The pier you are standing on is built on pilings that once supported the original eastern span.
The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake caused a portion of the upper eastern span deck to fail, providing a wake-up call: if a 6.9 earthquake centered sixty miles away could cause such damage, imagine what the largest earthquake predicted possible on the Hayward Fault, a 7.3 magnitude, centered only six miles away could do! There were many years planning a new, seismically secure suspension bridge for the eastern span. Built between 2002 and 2013, it cost around $6.5 billion-many times more than the $250 million originally estimated. Now over 100 million vehicles per year cross over this iconic landmark.
Erected 2020 by East Bay Regional Park District.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Bridges & Viaducts. A significant historical year for this entry is 1936.
Location. 37° 49.272′ N, 122° 19.885′ W.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area and on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Crossing the San Francisco Bay (within shouting distance of this marker); Observation Pier (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Rear Admiral R.J. "Bear" Arnold, U.S.N. (approx. 1.1 miles away); USS Oakland Mast (approx. 1.1 miles away); USS Oakland CL-AA 95 (approx. 1.2 miles away); John "Alex" Alexander (approx. 1.3 miles away); Training Wall (approx. 1.4 miles away); Western Pacific Mole (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oakland.
More about this marker.
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, October 29, 2020
2. The Oakland - San Francisco Bay Bridge Marker, looking west towards San Francisco
The marker is visible here on the right side of the pier.
Also see . . . San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge (Wikipedia). "The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, known locally as the Bay Bridge, is a complex of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay in California. As part of Interstate 80 and the direct road between San Francisco and Oakland, it carries about 260,000 vehicles a day on its two decks. It has one of the longest spans in the United States." (Submitted on November 12, 2020.)
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, October 29, 2020
3. The Oakland - San Francisco Bay Bridge Marker - wide view, looking east towards Oakland
Barrie Rokeach (courtesy of the EBRPD), circa 2014
4. Marker inset: The new eastern span
"The new eastern span (foreground) opened September 2, 2013. The demolition of the old span was completed in 2017."
Photographed by Jack Smith (courtesy of EBRPD), circa November 1, 1989
5. Marker inset: Quake Damage
Damage to the eastern span from the Loma Prieta earthquake.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 12, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 748 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on November 12, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
