THE DISPUTE
The idea to reuse the old Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge for parks and housing has stirred controversy among architects and structural engineers. Some believe the structure is too fragile to withstand another earthquake or too old to support the weight of buildings. Others welcome the possibility and see the bridge as a remarkable opportunity for innovative architecture that preserves the history of one of the Bay Area’s most iconic structures.
Click on a hotspot in the image above to hear what experts say about safety issues and the possibility of granting the bridge a new life. Join in the conversation by posting a comment below.
RESOURCES
Click below to read more about the debate over the Bay Line and Bay Bridge:
3 Comments
get rid of that thing!
or the next earthquake will
i think this as many other resources are (will be) underuse. my applause to this kind of ideas and efforts to be more logic and effective with what we have and not with what we don,t have. the amount of money to rebuild a structure like this is so high that everybody is obbligate to support this effort and try to be concient about reuse and not to destroy. tks
It seems the bike/pedestrian pathways would have to be wide enough for emergency vehicle access. Also a mini-light rail or small people-mover transporter may help with ADA access to the various parts of the linear community and during harsh weather conditions.
For better earthquake resistance, maybe the support towers could be encased in concrete. Also some additional structures could be added in the north/south direction at intervals which would act as struts to stabilize the tall and narrow structure. Maybe add anchors on piers to the north and south with cables similar to the cables that stabilize a radio tower.
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[...] shows architectural designs, a time line of the bridge’s history and video that captures the debate over the safety of the bridge’s eastern [...]