SAN DIEGO — "It takes a lot to put it up and a lot to put it down," said James Brown, an assistant civil engineer, who has been working on the constriction for the new West Mission Bay bridges for the past 4 and half years.
The project started in August 2018 to replace the bridge that was built in 1950.
WHAT STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE?
"What’s left to be done is we are putting barriers on bridge and we are putting the lights on the bridge. We are also putting handrails on the bridge and approaches to the bridge. We are doing everything to get it ready to open," said Brown.
COST OF PROJECT
He says the project has cost $113.5 million.
WILL THE BRIDGE HAVE MORE LANES?
"We had 2 lanes on the bridge. Now, we have 3 lanes, so it will be allow 1.5 times the amount of cars on given day. Currently, it will be 3 lanes going northbound and southbound will start out as 3 lanes and go into 4 lanes as an entrance to I-8," said Brown.
WHAT ELSE IS NEW ON THE BRIDGE?
The sidewalks on each bridge are much wider than before. The sidewalk is 12 feet wide allowing room for both bikers and pedestrians. Crews are also inputting lights to light up the sidewalks at night.
They are also building benches so people can enjoy the view of the bay.
HOW MUCH CONCRETE AND STEEL DID IT TAKE TO BUILD?
To no one’s surprise, it takes a lot of concrete to build the bridge.
"On the bridge, we used 30,000 yards of concrete. To put that in perspective, that is like building a 4 foot wide sidewalk from here to El Centro. So, that is 118 miles is how much concrete we used in the bridge," said Brown.
He also says they’ve used 7.6 million pounds of steel.
HOW LONG WILL THE NEW BRIDGE LAST?
"This one has a life span of 75-100 years. If you ask me, it will last 150 years," said Brown.
WHEN WILL IT BE COMPLETED?
The project is estimated to be completed by early next year.
WATCH RELATED: San Diego Bayfair back on Mission Bay (September 2022)