In 2006 the new East span of the Bay Bridge was being built – I watched it from my bus seat on my commute and became obsessed with it – watching the workers, like ants, build and build. I had not even considered what would happen to the old bridge. Then I started following the planning and progress online and I was hooked. The East span of the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge started being dismantled in the Fall of 2013. The new bridge was up and running, they wasted no time – demolition prep and planning had been happening for years. They were going to reverse engineer the bridge – take it down in reverse order as it had been built.  I shot all of the photos, unless indicated iPhone photo with an Olympus Micro Four Thirds PLI using the 14-42mm lens and the occasional fisheye. This project continues as of July 2016 – it still takes my breath away and I can’t wrap my head around how this effort is possible, even though I witnessed it. I hope you enjoy having a look.

Before and After

The 800 foot gap made a lasting impression. It made it all seem real – like it was actually going to happen – they were going to take it all down.

Bay Bridge Demolition in Color

The image below is a favorite color shot taken from Treasure Island on a particularly moody day with fantastic light. The gap is a little wider – creating more empty space.

Demolition Black and Whites

The scope of this demolition is immense. I was lucky to tour the old bridge on an evening with great light. These black and white photos convey a more strange, moody feeling.