New San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge: Construction Challenges Solved with Innovative Multi-Faced Foundations in Franciscan Bedrock.

June 13, 2022

The new east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in California features a single tower Self Anchored Suspension bridge, the largest in the world. This span replaced the old double-deck steel bridge built in the mid-1930s. The construction of the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge posed challenges during construction. The challenges were effectively addressed by designing, constructing and testing somewhat non-conventional, innovative, multi-faceted and cost-effective foundation solutions consisting of large diameter piles driven into bedrock, rock socketed drilled shafts, micro piles, and anchors. These solutions focused on the ability of the Franciscan bedrock to support the design loads.

Thavaraj, T. and A. Sy. 2022. “New San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge: Construction Challenges Solved with Innovative Multi-Faced Foundations in Franciscan Bedrock.” Canadian Geotechnique- The CGS Magazine. 3(1): 47-50.