Among American bridges, are there any that compare with the Bay Bridge in importance? I can't image a more vital link anywhere in the United States than what the one this one provides between the huge populations San Francisco and East Bay.

The Bay Area is an enormous metro area, unusual because it has such a large body of open water right smack in its middle with few bridges crossing the bay. There is no viable alternate route between SF and Oakland than what this bridge provides (the San Mateo Bridge being far down the peninsula from the city). That differs from the GW Bridge, which offers such alternates as the Lincoln Tunnel relatively close by.

Is the Bay Bridge the most strategically important US bridge?

Yeah, probably. The Varazanno Narrows Bridge, and the Chesapeake crossing and the Golden G. Br. are pretty important as well, but not as much as the Bay Br.

Its not that important to the rest of the U.S. but I'd say the bridges of the Overseas Highway are pretty important to the 80,000 residents of the Florida Keys. The only way on and off the island chain. Its only 2 lanes for most of its route as well. Its importance is magnified whenever a hurricane approaches and those people have to evacuate and it takes days to get them all out over the narrow bridges.
At least if the bay bridge went out you could still get from SF to Oakland, it would just take a lot longer. If one of the Overseas highway bridges goes out...those guys are screwed, nothing will get in or out other than by boat or plane.

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At least if the bay bridge went out you could still get from SF to Oakland, it would just take a lot longer.

Dave, you're right. But as was evident in the 1989 earthquake, you literally cripple the Bay Area when the bridge is not an option; BART and other bridges can't carry the load. And in removing this link, when you take a metro area as large and economically important to the nation, you have a total disaster on your hands!

Oi, we have a forum totally dedicated to bridges, in the infrastructure forum...

Yeah, probably. The Varazanno Narrows Bridge, and the Chesapeake crossing and the Golden G. Br. are pretty important as well, but not as much as the Bay Br.

Nouvelle, how important is the Varazanna when compared to other NYC bridges? I ask this as I am not sure.

It would seem to me the bridge serves two functions:
1. It connects Staten Island to the rest of the city
2. It allows Long Islanders to bypass Manhattan to get to the NJ and the mainland.

Both are important, but does this elevate the bridge to the importance of the direct Manhattan connections, the GW Bridge or Lincoln Tunnel?

I'd say the Ambassador Bridge is more important, because it is an important trade link between the U.S. and Canada.

We have a bridge subforum, use your eyes!

We have a bridge subforum, use your eyes!

Tubeman, believe it or not, as stupid as I apparently am, I knew there was a bridge forum. I choose the cities forum, ignoramous that I am, because I was not interested in the structure of brides, but about transportation connections within metro areas. To show you how warped I truly am, I would probably still post the subject in the cities forum if I were to do it again.

However, that is not the main issue here. what is important is the incredible kindess you share with me that enumerates my short comings, all in the interest of helping me become a better person.

So I must thank you for pointing out what a lame brain I truly am! What's so nice about the skyscrapper forum is that it seems we can always count on our fellow forumers to give us a good sense of our self worth. This is truly a place where respect for the other posters is valued by all.

If I broke the Convenant of the Correct Post, please let me apologize to you and anyone else that I managed to offend. I am sure I will rot in hell for eternity due to my poor choice.

I'd say the Ambassador Bridge is more important, because it is an important trade link between the U.S. and Canada.

I was going to say the same thing, but there is also a tunnel near too...and now Chicagoans found a faster way to go to Toronto from Chicago, using the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia-Port Huron, to advoid the Detroit traffic...

How about the St. Louis bridge, that carry 3 interestates and a numerous amount of U.S. Highways across the Mississippi River? Same with the Memphis bridge acriss the Mississippi River, or the Cincy, Louisville Bridges and U.S. 1 to the Keys?

Is the Bay Bridge the most strategically important US bridge?

I believe so. If it wasn't living in the shadow of the goldengate more of america would pay more attention to it. There are a lot of bay area people that have never even been on the golden gate (or been on it just to check it out, not because they need to use it).

Nouvelle, how important is the Varazanna when compared to other NYC bridges? I ask this as I am not sure.

It would seem to me the bridge serves two functions:
1. It connects Staten Island to the rest of the city
2. It allows Long Islanders to bypass Manhattan to get to the NJ and the mainland.

Both are important, but does this elevate the bridge to the importance of the direct Manhattan connections, the GW Bridge or Lincoln Tunnel?

Perhaps not. The other crossings you mentioned have far more traffic flow, so they are more important when it comes to the overall function of the city, but I mentioned the VN because of its strategic location. It's a connection between the enormous population centres of Long Island and NJ, and the closest alternative route between L. Island, and NJ is a fair distance away. But I'm not a big enough expert on the Tri State area to know if it's more important than any of the other bridges. And considering that the GW is as or more busy then the GGB, it's importance shouldn't be overlooked either regardless of the presence of the tunnels.

I think you underestimate the importance of the George Washington Bridge. Yes, there are alternate routes, but they are just as inconvenient as the Bay Area alternate bridges. One is the Tappan Zee, far far to the north, the other is the Lincoln Tunnel, which isn't even an interstate. The most important point is that it's used by commuters, AS WELL AS people just passing through like truckers going from Boston to Washington. The same can't be said for the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge, since the main N-S route (I-5) bypasses the city completely.

The Verrazano Narrows Bridge is used by mainly local area people going to the airport, or looking for a shortcut out of the city. It looks like it's in a strategic place, but I don't think closing it will paralyze the city.

Other bridges I thought deserved a mention were the Triborough Bridge (actually 3 bridges), linking the Bronx, Manhattan, and Long Island, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge carrying the Beltway accross the Potomac, the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge carrying traffic from Boston northwards, and one smaller but strategically important bridge- the Macinac Straits Bridge linking the two halves of Michigan.

From Wikipedia and external links-

Triborough Bridge - 200,000 veh/day (6-8 lanes total)
George Washington Bridge - 300,000 veh/day (14 lanes total)
Lincoln Tunnel - 120,000 veh/day (6 lanes total)
Holland Tunnel - 92,000 veh/day (4 lanes total)
Verrazano Narrows Bridge - 190,000 veh/day (12 lanes total)
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge - 280,000 veh/day (10 lanes total)
Woodrow Wilson Bridge - 200,000 veh/day (6 lanes total, expanded to 12 in 2008)
Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge - ~190,000 veh/day (10 lanes total)

Mackinac Bridge - ??? veh/day (4 lanes total)
Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel - ??? veh/day (4 lanes total)

I think you underestimate the importance of the George Washington Bridge. Yes, there are alternate routes, but they are just as inconvenient as the Bay Area alternate bridges.
The GW is nowhere near as important to New York as the Bay Bridge is to San Francisco.

Its not just the Bridge itself that's busy, but the freeways in the immediate area that leads to the bridge. 80,580,880,980 and 24 are all major choke points.

80@The Maze 312,000 cars daily
580@The Maze 207,000 cars daily
880@980 264,000 cars daily
980@24/580 123,000 cars daily(its a connector between 24 and 880)
24@580 145,000 cars daily

You take the Bay Bridge out of commission and your typical 1 hr commute can triple or quadruple. Driving down to The San Mateo Bridge adds 30 Miles to your commute if your headed into The City and crossing the Richmond-San Rafael into Marin and then making your way to the Golden Gate adds about 30 miles as well. Not to mention the fact that those bridges and freeways are already horrifically busy.

880 at Winton Av Hayward on the way to the San Mateo Bridge averages 285,000 cars daily...15 miles south of Oakland.

No alternative route in New York adds 30 Miles and 2-3 hours to your commute. Not even close

http://sfgate.com/c/pictures/2005/12/17/ba_fastrak34.jpg

http://www.mtc.ca.gov/images/SFOBB-Toll-Plaza.jpg

This isnt even in the morning.
http://homepage.mac.com/mpieracci/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2004-12-20%2016.32.27%20-0800/Image-32CEA7B252E711D9.jpg

http://www.mtc.ca.gov/news/photos/img/aerial.jpg

http://www.mtc.ca.gov/images/nubridg/sfobb_aerial_big.jpg

http://www.rmcpmi.com/profile/cretesheet/Imgs/13BridgeAerial2.JPG

http://www.westoaklandca.com/images/aerial2.jpg

http://sfgate.com/c/pictures/2005/06/24/ba_aerial_003db.jpg

http://www.******.com/travel/m009/image51a.jpg

http://www.inetours.com/images/Snglimg2/Bay_Bridge-Tele_0576.jpg

http://www.travel-images-gallery.com/pics/san_francisco/sanf0006.jpg

Both bridges are important for their respective cities, but I think the GW is important to the entire East Coast. I-95 is used by trucks to ship everything up and down the Atlantic Seaboard, and the Hudson River is a large obstacle. Take the GW out of commission and you're left with-

The Lincoln Tunnel, a detour going through the local streets of New York. Completely unacceptable as an alternate route except for Manhattan commuters.
The Holland Tunnel, same thing except even more of a detour.
Staten Island Bridges, at least these are interstates, but is a huge detour going through Long Island.
The Tappan Zee Bridge, another large interstate detour.
The Bear Mountain Bridge, so far north that I don't even know why I mention it.

Without the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge, you inconvenience the city residents, but the I-5 is still available to ship everything up and down the West Coast.

It's scary if you think about it- if someone blew up the GW and Verrazano Bridges (throw in the Tappan Zee if you want), you shut down a large portion of freight traffic from New England to the mid-Atlantic.

And a delay of 2-3 hours? Hell, sometimes it takes that long just waiting to get into the Lincoln Tunnel on a normal day.

And a delay of 2-3 hours? Hell, sometimes it takes that long just waiting to get into the Lincoln Tunnel on a normal day.
On a normal day? That sounds like romanticized nostalgia. Anyway, if we were to be realistic. What would be more of a challenge...driving 1-5 miles to the nearest tunnel or bridge, or driving 30 miles out of your way to another bridge deep in suburbia making a circle and then driving on another congested freeway 20 miles up the peninsula eventually arriving in The City-assuming all 1-5 miles in NY and all 30 miles in The Bay Area are in stop and go traffic? It wouldnt require a scientist to tell you which alternative was worse. Not even close.

It's scary if you think about it- if someone blew up the GW and Verrazano Bridges (throw in the Tappan Zee if you want), you shut down a large portion of freight traffic from New England to the mid-Atlantic
LOL. Yes, if you took out 3 major arteries-it might have an impact. We'd only require one to get taken out and the damage would be done.

Shut down either bridge and you'd have gridlock everywhere. Cars probably wouldn't be able to move an inch. But I stand by my arguement that while shutting down the Bay Bridge will cripple the Bay Area, shutting down the GW would cripple the entire NE corridor. Life would still go on in the I-5 corridor.

It must be important because the new Easter Span is going ahead even with the growing price tag of construction.

this will be the new look of the eastern span:

http://www.mtc.ca.gov/images/ta0202/newspan_lg.jpg

http://bridgepros.com/projects/Bay_Bridge/bay_bridge_model.jpg

^^can't wait til construction ends! what a beautiful bridge that's going to be. what will become of the older span? are they going to demolish it?

it will be demolised yes

^^yep