Completion, Oct/Nov, 2003

Isn't there a saying..."a bridge stops for no man"...or was that about time? Well anyway, while we've been doing homework, drum corps, ROTC, marching band, Vallejo Youth Council, library volunteer work, all the other stuff and more homework on top of THAT, the bridge was getting built. On October 21st Mrs. Allison drove us to the bridge site to see the final preparations being made to the bridge before its November 8th official opening. Now that we are sophomores, it's hard to believe that when we were 6th graders, we stood near this site at the groundbreaking and announced our project.

As you browse through our most recent photos of the bridge, you'll notice a lot of changes:

This is how the bridge looks now from one of our favorite viewing sites in Crockett. The most obvious change is that the deck is complete, and the cables have been colored "Carquinez red." There are no guardrails yet (which will be green) so the public will not be able to walk on the bridge after opening day until all of these have been installed. You can see people and trucks working all over on the deck of the bridge. They work day and night and on weekends, getting ready for opening day which has been moved forward by one week.

When we looked up at the south tower, the most obvious change was the absence of the platform that we walked on when we went to the top. All that remains are the two saddles where the main cables now rest.	Painters are painting the underside of the bridge deck a shiny beige color. You'll notice the cables are red now. Look! there's no footbridge! That was removed during the summer when all the cable work was completed.	The people hauler that once lifted us up the tower has been removed from the south tower and access ladders are still visible, like this one joining the bridge to the south approach. The big change here is that the falsework underneath the approach has been removed.	Electricity and lighting has been installed across the bridge. The cables will be lit up at night. In this shot you can see one of the road lights painted the color that the guardrails will be colored.

When we drove up to the bridge we had to wait a few minutes while ironworkers operated cranes, forklifts, and trucks, doing the job of dismantling all of the falsework underneath the on and off-ramps connecting the new bridge in Crockett.	Mrs. Allison took our picture above from a spot near the groundbreaking ceremony. Here is what that area looks like now. It will be the southbound off ramp from the new bridge heading into the town of Crockett. This area will be landscaped and a park will be added for the enjoyment of people who walk across the bridge.	While we were here, PGE crews were busy installing new power lines, there were concrete workers and trucks laying new sidewalks, and others preparing the roadway. There seems to be more people working on the construction site than at any other time we've visited in the past 4 years.	The local newspapers have mentioned a controversy about how the bridge opening has been moved up a week requiring workers to work overtime ...something about two California governors. We won't go there, we're just glad our bridge is finally opening.

More pictures as the crews work toward opening day. These were taken Oct. 26 in the morning.
Guardrails are being installed on the Vallejo side.	We stood here 3 years ago when the pile driver was driving piles for this tower.	The towering cranes are being dismantled.	Road signs are installed and the asphalt roadbed is evident.

The Crockett anchorages are visible again and the Crockett offramp is being completed. Here is where the pedestrians will exit from the bridge.	The Crockett bridge approach (Interstate 80) is in its final stages of construction.	We've found some beautiful spots to look at the bridge progress like this one at the Maritime Academy in Vallejo.	This was a weird shot because it looked like one of the bridge sections had collapsed. It turned out to be just a play of sunlight on the newly painted underside of the bridge deck.

Our next page will feature the opening day ceremonies. We're planning to be among the first people who walk across the new bridge. You can check back with us and you can find out more details about the opening ceremony on November 8th, 2003 from these two sites: The citizen's planning committee at http://www.alzbridge.com/ Caltrans Carquinez Bridge Site