DONALD MACDONALD
1516 Folsom St.
San Francisco, CA
94104, USA
Donald MacDonald Architects LLC
DONALD MACDONALD
1516 Folsom St.
San Francisco, CA
94104, USA
SF-Oakland Bay Bridge, East Span
San Francisco, California
Donald MacDonald Architects provided design services for the new East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Working with the acclaimed New York bridge engineering firm, Weidlinger Associates, the team designed and conceptualized various modifications on a self-anchoring suspension bridge concept. The MacDonald/Weidlinger team also worked with the joint venture of T.Y. Lin International/ Moffat & Nichol to create a signature bridge for the San Francisco Bay. After four presentations, the panel selected the MacDonald/Weidlinger self-anchoring suspension system. The selection was favored because this system worked well with the family of the existing San Francisco Bay bridge.
Learn more about the design of this project in Donald MacDonald’s book, here.
Client – Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Location – Oakland, San Francisco, CA
Timeline – 2002-2013
Bridge Engineer – TY Lin, Moffat Nichol, Weidlinger
Overall Length – 2.2mi
Type – Self Anchored Suspension, Segmental
Main Span – 1,263
Deck Width – 258.33,’ 15.5′ multi-use path
Tower Height – 525′
Cost – $6.5B
Additional Media On This Project
The DMD designed East Span of the Bay Bridge (San Francisco-Oakland) complements and counterpoints the existing bridges ringing the San Francisco Bay from Carquinez to the Golden Gate. The design of this self-anchoring suspension bridge includes elements that nod to both Yerba Buena Island’s inverted-arch form and the Oakland Harbor gantry cranes.
Connecting Treasure Island, a state park, to Alameda county, the new bridge span boasts a bicycle lane and is surrounded by recreational areas where cycling, boating, and sailing are commonplace activities. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is a structure rich with historical and cultural significance. Such a signature bridge is a controversial project, meriting the involvement of eight different local counties.
