A deal struck June 23 between California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and Democratic legislative leaders breathes new life into an innovative but increasingly expensive component of the new San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge. Now, a second round of requests for proposals for what would be the worlds largest self-anchored suspension span could be issued by the California Dept. of Transportation before the end of July.
Schwarzenegger last year proposed scrapping the SAS design and replacing it with an extension of a 1.1-mile concrete "Skyway" viaduct, now being built (ENR 12/20/04, p. 12). He claimed the move would save $500 million. The viaduct was designed to connect to the suspension bridge and comprise the bridges east span leading to Oakland.