The bay line

This projects seeks to demonstrate the potential for re-purposing the historic American bridge infrastructure as possible sites for sustainable urban housing and linear parks. The eastern section of the historic James “Sunny Jim” Rolph Bridge, commonly known as the Bay Bridge, in San Francisco/Oakland, which is currently being replaced by a new concrete bridge structure, serves as a prototype for considering the potential of re-utilizing bridge infrastructure to create new social, housing and sustainable infrastructures.

The objective of The Bay Line is to, specifically, re-imagine the replaced eastern span of the Bay Bridge as a linear park with bicycle and pedestrian access, housing and cultural activities, such as theaters, commerce and museums, as well as 1.92 miles of bicycle lanes, sporting facilities, such as tennis courts, climbing walls, squash courts, and skate parks in addition to orchards, gardens and meadows, that are easily accessible and interconnected to the larger Bay Area. More broadly, we hope that this project is the genesis for creating a series of prefabricated prototypes and widely applicable concepts that can help others realize the potential in abandoned bridge infrastructure.

Viability

• The eastern span of The Bay Bridge, since it was previously a rail bridge, can support an enormous load.

• Seismic upgrade of the eastern span was completed after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 and almost 2 million vehicles cross the bridge each week.

• The Bay Bridge is a historic Icon that connects two major metropolitan areas by automobile, but does not accommodate bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

• Unsurpassed views coupled with a culture of health and fitness in the Bay Area would make the Bay Line a desirable destination.

• A continued demand for low-cost housing in the Bay Area, even during the housing crisis, is justification for the addition of housing.

Project Date: 2009
Project Team: Ronald Rael, Virginia San Fratello, Emily Licht, Duncan Young
Additional Project Information: More information about The Bay line can be found on BLDG BLOG, Curbed and Bridge to Nowhere