Gallery: California's Busiest Bridge Has a Serious Issue With Rust
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION01080714-demo-Burbank-2[3]
The eastern, self-anchored span section of the San Francisco Bay Bridge, viewed from the Treasure Island.
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION02012615-demo-Burbank-6
The new eastern span replaces the older, steel cantilever-and-truss bridge that was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION03101714-demo-burbank-lg-9
The eastern span's tower is 525 feet tall.
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION04012615-demo-Burbank-1
At 238 feet and ten lanes, the eastern span is the world's widest bridge.
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION05demo 1-7
The eastern span during construction.
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION06072214-demo-burbank-lg-15
The port of Oakland in the foreground; Marin County and the Golden Gate Bridge in the back.
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION07111414-demo-Burbank-3
Caltrans is giving one tenth of one percent of the old bridge's steel away to artists---for free.
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION08demo 3-3
The rest gets recycled and sold.
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION09101714-demo-burbank-lg-2
As they approach Yerba Buena, the two halves of the bridge stack.
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION10111414-demo-Burbank-7
About 800 double-crested cormorants nest in the old eastern span. These protected birds have added significant delays---and costs---to taking down the old span.
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION11BayDemo-Burbank-4
There's not much rain in California, but what does fall could cause the new eastern span's cable to rust.
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION12120414-demo-Burbank-5
The San Francisco Bay is only about 14 feet deep on average, though there are significantly deeper shipping channels.
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION13092515-Burbank-Demo-020
The eastern span's roadway is 191 feet above the water.
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION14baybridge
The eastern span connects Oakland to Yerba Buena.
Spooky New Infostealer Malware Uses AI to ‘Autodox’ Victims
Named “Volta-Autodoxer,” the recently uncovered malware uses AI tools to collect troves of data about victims, from login credentials and credit card numbers to Discord sessions and UberEats receipts.
Lily Hay Newman
There’s a Completely New Type of Whisky. It’s French and Made in Concrete Eggs
The founders of Maison Lineti are, in a world first, making single malt whisky as if it were wine—and the spirit world is mighty impressed.
Jeremy White
Light Up Your Home Like Christmas With These Smart String Lights
Glow up your home indoors or out with these versatile, discounted, full color smart string lights. They’re WIRED-tested and 25 percent off right now.
Simon Hill
Power Outages Are No Match for This Fridge Battery
Backup by BioLite is designed to power your fridge when the grid goes down. It works, but protecting your ice cream doesn’t come cheap.
Christopher Null
Meta’s Muse Could Upend All Kinds of Businesses. It Hasn’t Yet
Companies have spent the past several weeks trying to reassure investors that Muse and other AI agents pose more of an opportunity than a threat.
Paresh Dave
Get Bose QC Headphones at Their Lowest Price Ever
They’re a steal at over 40 percent off in multiple colors. Plus, other great Bose deals you should know about ahead of Black Friday.
Harry Rabinowitz
An AI Agent Injected Drugs Into a Live Mouse’s Brain
A biotech startup let an agent choose a gene therapy and successfully inject the treatment, offering a startling glimpse of the future of research labs.
Emily Mullin
The Keurig Alta Brewer Can Do It All, With No Plastic Pods
This multifaceted home coffee brewer and its new AltaRounds will make you rethink everything you know about Keurig machines.
Louryn Strampe
Are Memories Transferable? Meet the Scientists Replicating an Infamous Study to Find Out
In the 1960’s, an odd experiment showed planarian worms could transfer memories by consuming each other. It was a sensational finding—that is until the worms stopped learning.
Claire L. Evans
Sunrise Alarm Clocks to Help You Adjust to Shorter Days
I’ve never been a morning person. This bedside gadget is the only thing that’s ever changed that.
Nena Farrell
White Dwarfs Aren’t Just White. Scientists Discover Dying Stars Turning Pink and Green
Astronomers find that a white dwarf’s density and the kind of material it absorbed from its surroundings can produce a rainbow of shades in the star’s atmosphere.
Petr Kubala
Wayfair Coupons for November 2026
Get 10% off with Wayfair promo code, up to 80% off furniture, and more top coupons.
Molly Higgins