Bay Bridge Proposal: Turn Old Eastern Span Piers into a Park

Officials are considering a plan to preserve some of the eastern span of the bay Bridge as part of an effort to cut costs on the project—which is now well over its $6.4 billion budget.

1 minute read

December 2, 2014, 1:00 PM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"Bay Bridge officials want to keep some of the old eastern span’s concrete piers in place — a plan they say would save on demolition costs and create a memorial for the historic structure," reports Jaxon Van Derbeken.

"The idea is to preserve and remember a portion of the old span as part of the planned Gateway Park. The 170-acre park would be built on Caltrans land near the span as an approach for the bike path to the bridge."

One hitch in the plan—the original permit for the project requires all of the former span's piers to be removed. Environmentalists argue that removing the piers is for the "betterment of the bay."

Friday, November 28, 2014 in San Francisco Chronicle

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6, 2026 - Grist

People walking in downtown St. Louis, walking past shops.

Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment

The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.

November 1, 2026 - Smart Cities Dive

A rendering of the California high speed rail Fresno station. Two escalators leading into the station are visible.

California High-Speed Rail Authority picks trainset manufacturer

The California High-Speed Rail Authority aims to start servicing passengers by 2033.

November 1, 2026 - Railway News

Construction in Dallas. An aerial shot of a wooden frame of an apartment building.

Dallas releases zoning code overhaul to officials

The drafted overhaul is over 400 pages long.

45 minutes ago - Dallas Morning News

Canal street, where pedestrians are packed shoulder to shoulder.

NYC renovations for dangerous, ‘mercilessly crammed’ street delayed until 2027

Construction was supposed to begin this fall.

1 hour ago - Gothamist

A rendering of Midway Rising that shows people mingling in a green space between apartment buildings.

San Diego’s Midway Rising project gets greenlight from city council

The project looks to become the largest affordable housing development in California's history.

2 hours ago - KPBS

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.