San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge, Spanning San Francisco Bay, San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA

Significance: The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is one of the most impressive engineering structures in the United States. It is also one of the most important transportation links in the United States, serving as the terminus of an interstate highway and as the linchpin for the transportation network of the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the nation's largest metropolitan regions. The bridge has been recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a nationally significant structure from the standpoint of engineering as well as its importance in the transportation history of California and the nation. The Bay Bridge was also a milestone in the political history of the Bay Area. The history of the Bay Area is filled with controversies over transportation projects, from the 19th century debates over subsidies to the railroads, continuing through the freeway revolt of the 1950s and seemingly endless debates between supporters of transit and highway development in more recent decades. The long debate over construction of the Bay Bridge is remarkable for the fact that the people of the Bay Area and their political leaders united behind it with almost unanimous support. People may disagree as to whether the Bay Bridge is more important for its engineering, its role in transportation history or for its importance in the politics of the area. The structure is highly significant in all of these different ways.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N679

Survey number: HAER CA-32

Building/structure dates: 1936 Initial Construction

Building/structure dates: 1959-1963 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1989 Subsequent Work

National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 00000525

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1969 - 1980

Library of Congress

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