Access to the Western Span of the Bay Bridge at Night

In the last two posts, I’ve shared images of the new and old Eastern Span, which generated many comments and emails.  One of the advantages of the Bay Bridge closure allowed me to shoot at night on the Western suspension bridge.  It being the “unchanged” bridge, there was no one photographing there.  I’ve shot many times from major bridges with traffic, and there is so much movement and vibration of the bridge (especially with trucks and buses going by) that long exposures needed for night photography were virtually impossible.

The empty Western span enabled me to shoot as I wanted, since there was virtually no traffic (except for an occasional resident of Treasure Island or “official” vehicle).

Simple images, like the one above, would obviously be impossible to shoot with traffic, but also impossible due to vibration.  That locked and barred gate sure looks like a deterrent to climb the main cables!  About 22 years ago, I climbed the western tower in the daytime with a Caltrans photographer and it was exciting, to say the least, walking on the 2.5 foot diameter cable high above the bay.  There was also lots of vibration at the top of the tower — more than I would ever have expected.  Major bridges like these are meant to move and sway with traffic and the wind.

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While driving the bridge, you never really get a chance to see the detail of the 1930s structure with its thousands of rivets and angles.  You can also see modern wiring — cables that were added for the many cameras on the bridge.

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How often do you see the bridge looking like this?  Rarely, indeed.  This shot, made an hour or so before the bridge opened, makes it look regal and majestic.  The vantage point is partially in the tunnel, looking west.  My car is only a convenient 20 feet away.

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This image looks like a study in cubism.  It is the eastern tunnel entrance, with a new roadway, just paved and striped.

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This view at the center anchorage shows the riveted steel face.  The backlighting from a light fixture just behind the sign really shows the texture (and makes for some dramatic shadows).

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This shot of the center anchorage shows the 1930s Art Deco styling of the structure.  It almost has the look of a battleship from that era.  Like many of you, I’ve driven this bridge countless times and have never noticed these details.

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The above two views really play up the gray “battleship” look, as the sheathed cables look like cannons.  I was tempted to climb up on the fixture, as no one was around, but my better sense kept me from doing it.

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This more abstract view shows the rivet details and the unusual-looking “submarine door”.  Again, I’ve never noticed these before.  Yes, they were locked, but I’m still curious as to what’s inside.

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The majesty of the suspension bridge is evident in this view, nearly straight up.  There are different lights from the San Francisco skyline that cause the differences in color.

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This is the major expansion joint under the western-most tower, with the San Francisco skyline in the background, looking north.  If you looked down, you would see the eastbound traffic lanes below, between the slats.  The bridge tower is vertical, but the roadbed shows the downhill slope into the City.

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Here we can see three icons of San Francisco: Coit Tower, atop Telegraph Hill; The Ferry Building, a survivor of the 1906 earthquake; and of course, the 1936 Bay Bridge in the foreground.  The black zip-ties on the vertical cable are holding parts of the strings of lights for the LED art installation.

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Later in the evening, the fog began to roll in.  You can see it here swirling around the new Eastern Span tower.  This shot was taken from the Yerba Buena Island tunnel and it shows off the freshly power-washed walls and new pavement.  On the right, there is a California Highway Patrol car waiting for the bridge to open.

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This is the kind of shot I’ve always wanted to do, but couldn’t.  The fog bank is beginning to envelop the city.  The smudge of light in the lower right is a pleasure craft in this 30-second exposure.