Bay Bridge | The Adobo Chronicles

Yerba Buena Island, San Francisco – As crews from Caltrans battle against time to ensure the timely opening of the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge the day after Labor Day, the Asian mayors of San Francisco and Oakland are engaged in a rhetorical duel over the name of the new structure.

Oakland mayor Jean Quan wants the new span to be named the Oakland Bay Bridge while San Francisco mayor Ed Lee insists it should be called the San Francisco Bay Bridge. Quan argues that the new span sits on the eastern side of the Oakland City and Alameda County line, but Lee says that the tower of the new bridge casts its shadow over the western side, right by Yerba Buena Island which is part of the City and County of San Francisco.

Quan said that Oakland needs a landmark to help its tourism image. “San Francisco already has the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, ” Quan said , ” so I hope Lee would not be so greedy to claim the new Bay Bridge span as well.”

To settle the issue, two “Browns” are mediating. California Governor Jerry Brown proposed a public debate between the two Asian Mayors and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown has volunteered to be the judge.

Both mayors have tentatively agreed to the debate.

Oakland, California -Facing criticism amid its announcement that the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge will not open by Labor Day as originally scheduled, Caltrans is now considering several options to appease irate commuters who rely on the bridge for their daily trek to and from San Francisco. Earlier, top engineering experts have said that the new span will not withstand even a 5.0 earthquake due to the faulty bolts.

Caltrans said it is re-evaluating whether it is even worth it to continue with the construction of the new span. Apparently, replacing the faulty bolts will cost as much as it has already spent in building the new bridge. Caltrans declined to reveal a dollar amount.

The second option is to retrofit the old span and add rainbow-colored lights to the bridge that would create a spectacular view of the old structure at night and on foggy days.

The third option which is currently being negotiated is to station three Carnival Cruise ships in the Bay Area to ferry passengers between Oakland and San Francisco during heavy commute times. Carnival Cruises is reportedly very interested in the Caltrans proposal considering problems the shipping lines has had in the past year. As a result of accidents at sea as well as fire and electrical problems, Carnival Cruises has been losing business. Caltrans said this third option might work well for San Francisco and Oakland commuters given their party and fun-loving nature.