Building the San
Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge:
1933 - 1936
(10 of 10 photos)
Opening Day
On
November 12, 1936, President Roosevelt in Washington pressed a telegraph key to
open the bridge at the East Bay Toll Plaza.
Although pedestrians were not allowed, 5000 happy San Franciscans walked onto
the bridge creating a massive traffic jam.
A California Highway Patrol officer stands by his motorcycle watching the last
stragglers head for home.
The bridge is not completely finished. Tracks for interurban electric trains
must still be installed on the lower deck which they share with truck traffic.
When the trains were taken off, the bridge was converted to two way use.
Westbound on the top deck, Eastbound on the lower.