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November/December 2003
Facts and Figures
While the 1927 and 1958 spans across the Carquinez Strait feature
the steel latticework characteristic of cantilever truss bridges, the new westbound span is
a contemporary interpretation of a classic suspension bridge. The structure is the
nation’s first suspension bridge to showcase steel orthotropic box girder technology;
the result is a relatively light, strong and aerodynamic deck with an aesthetically
pleasing thin profile. This is also the first suspension bridge in the United States to
feature concrete instead of steel towers. Tapering as they rise from the water, the tower
columns are connected only at the top, without the cross-bracing seen on the Golden Gate
Bridge and San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge towers. As distinctive as the sleek towers is
the tricolor scheme: “Carquinez Red” for the main cables, gray for the towers,
and green for the light poles and railings. At night, dramatic lighting highlights the
span’s graceful silhouette.
Existing
Bridges
Location
Interstate 80 over the Carquinez Strait between Crockett and Vallejo
Type of bridge
Steel cantilever truss
Original span
Opened in 1927
Second span
Opened in 1958;
retrofitted for seismic safety in 2002
Number of lanes
Westbound span: three
Eastbound span: four
Average daily traffic
140,000 vehicles (both directions)
Facts: New
West Span
Location
West of the two existing spans
Replaces
1927 westbound span, which will be demolished starting in 2004
Construction began
January 2000
Opening date
November 8, 2003
Funded by
Regional Measure 1, overseen by the Bay Area Toll Authority
Type of bridge
Main cable catenary suspension
Tower materials
Steel-reinforced concrete
Deck structure
Steel orthotropic box girder
Figures: New West Span
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24
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Number of steel piles,
each 3 meters (10 feet) in diameter, comprising the tower foundations; crews
drilled as deep as 90 meters (295 feet) into the floor of the strait |
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24
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Number of deck sections |
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600
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Metric tons — average weight of each deck section
|
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3
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Meters (10 feet) — thickness of girders
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2
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Number of towers
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728
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Meters (2,388 feet) — distance between towers
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128
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Meters (420 feet) — north tower height (measured from
surface of water) |
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123
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Meters (403 feet) — south tower height (measured from
surface of water)
|
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3,000
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Metric tons — weight of concrete in each tower
|
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2
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Number of main cables
|
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1,224
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Meters (4,015 feet) — length of each cable
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512
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Millimeters (20 inches) — diameter of each cable
|
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37
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Number of strands per cable
|
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232
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Number of wires per strand
|
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5
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Millimeters (1/5 inch) — wire diameter
|
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8,584
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Wires in each main cable
|
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21,000
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Kilometers (13,020 miles) — approximate combined length of
all wires (the distance from San Francisco to Hong Kong and back)
|
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1,060
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Meters (3,477 feet) — bridge length
|
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29
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Meters (95 feet) — bridge width
|
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4
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Number of lanes (three mixed-flow plus one carpool lane)
|
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$240
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Million — cost of main span
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$500
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Million — total project
cost (includes bridge, interchange improvements, new approaches, landscaping,
maintenance facility and 1927 span demolition) |
Contents
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