Remaking the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
Remaking the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge

Author: Karen Trapenberg Frick

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-08-14

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 1317338510

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Winner of TransportiCA’s September Book Club Award 2018 On 17 October 1989 one the largest earthquakes to occur in California since the San Francisco earthquake of April 1906 struck Northern California. Damage was extensive, none more so than the partial collapse of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge’s eastern span, a vital link used by hundreds of thousands of Californians every day. The bridge was closed for a month for repairs and then reopened to traffic. But what ensued over the next 25 years is the extraordinary story that Karen Trapenberg Frick tells here. It is a cautionary tale to which any governing authority embarking on a megaproject should pay heed. She describes the process by which the bridge was eventually replaced as an exercise in shadowboxing which pitted the combined talents and shortcomings, partnerships and jealousies, ingenuity and obtuseness, generosity and parsimony of the State’s and the region’s leading elected officials, engineers, architects and other members of the governing elites against a collectively imagined future catastrophe of unknown proportions. In so doing she highlights three key questions: If safety was the reason to replace the bridge, why did it take almost 25 years to do so? How did an original estimate of $250 million in 1995 soar to $6.5 billion by 2014? And why was such a complex design chosen? Her final chapter – part epilogue, part reflection – provides recommendations to improve megaproject delivery and design.

BART
BART

Author: Michael C. Healy

Publisher: Heyday.ORIM

Published: 2013-01-01

Total Pages: 426

ISBN-13: 1597143812

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An insider’s “indispensible” behind-the-scenes history of the transit system of San Francisco and surrounding counties (Houston Chronicle). In the first-ever history book about BART, longtime agency spokesman Michael C. Healy gives an insider’s account of the rapid transit system’s inception, hard-won approval, construction, and operations, warts and all. With a master storyteller’s wit and sharp attention to detail, Healy recreates the politically fraught venture to bring a new kind of public transit to the West Coast. What emerges is a sense of the individuals who made (and make) BART happen. From tales of staying up until 3:00 a.m. with BART pioneers Bill Stokes and Jack Everson to hear the election results for the rapid transit vote to stories of weathering scandals, strikes, and growing pains, this look behind the scenes of an iconic, seemingly monolithic structure reveals people at their most human—and determined to change the status quo. “The Metro. The T. The Tube. The world's most famous subway systems are known by simple monikers, and San Francisco's BART belongs in that class. Michael C. Healy delivers a tour-de-force telling of its roots, hard-fought approval, and challenging construction that will delight fans of American urban history.”—Doug Most, author of The Race Underground: Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry That Built America's First Subway

Endangered Dreams
Endangered Dreams

Author: Kevin Starr

Publisher: Americans and the California D

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 431

ISBN-13: 0195100808

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History of California in the 1930s, discussing topics that include the depression, Utpon Sinclair's campaign for governor, Harry Bridges and the San Francisco general strike, and the public and private relief programs for the more than one million emigrants from the dust bowl.

Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region
Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region

Author: Doris Sloan

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2006-06-27

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 0520241266

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"You can't really know the place where you live until you know the shapes and origins of the land around you. To feel truly at home in the Bay Area, read Doris Sloan's intriguing stories of this region's spectacular, quirky landscapes."—Hal Gilliam, author of Weather of the San Francisco Bay Region "This is a fascinating look at some of the world's most complex and engaging geology. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in an understanding of the beautiful landscape and dynamic geology of the Bay Area."—Mel Erskine, geological consultant "This accessible summary of San Francisco Bay Area geology is particularly timely. We are living in an age where we must deal with our impact on our environment and the impact of the environment on us. Earthquake hazards, and to a lesser extent landslide hazards, are well known, but the public also needs to be aware of other important engineering and environmental impacts and geologic resources. This book will allow Bay Area residents to make more intelligent decisions about the geological issues affecting their lives."—John Wakabayashi, geological consultant

The Final Leap
The Final Leap

Author: John Bateson

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2012-04-18

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 0520951409

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The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most beautiful and most photographed structures in the world. It’s also the most deadly. Since it opened in 1937, more than 1,500 people have died jumping off the bridge, making it the top suicide site on earth. It’s also the only international landmark without a suicide barrier. Weaving drama, tragedy, and politics against the backdrop of a world-famous city, The Final Leap is the first book ever written about Golden Gate Bridge suicides. John Bateson leads us on a fascinating journey that uncovers the reasons for the design decision that led to so many deaths, provides insight into the phenomenon of suicide, and examines arguments for and against a suicide barrier. He tells the stories of those who have died, the few who have survived, and those who have been affected—from loving families to the Coast Guard, from the coroner to suicide prevention advocates.

Golden Gate
Golden Gate

Author: Kevin Starr

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2010-07-15

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 159691534X

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A passionate chronicle of the Golden Gate Bridge's construction by a National Humanities Medal-winning historian reveals influences from culture and nature that shaped its development while offering insight into its role as a national symbol of American engineering and innovation.

Secret Stairs: East Bay
Secret Stairs: East Bay

Author: Charles Fleming

Publisher: Santa Monica Press

Published: 2011-05-01

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13: 1595808809

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Revised and Updated in September 2020! The hills of the East Bay contain one of the finest and densest urban hiking environments in the state of California—more than 400 paved pathways and public staircases lattice up and down the slopes of Berkeley and Oakland alone. Rising high above the city centers, with towering views of the San Francisco Bay, the Bay Bridge, and San Francisco itself, these elegant civic walking trails—many of them shaded in oaks and redwoods, and many unknown even to local residents—present a unique landscape for both the casual walker and dedicated hiker. Charles Fleming, the Southern California author whose bestselling 2010 walking guide Secret Stairs turned the hidden public staircases of Los Angeles into popular hiking trails, now turns his eyes northward. For Secret Stairs: East Bay, Fleming has designed more than 30 individual hiking loops. Linking multiple staircases into one-to two-hour self-guided strolls, these urban treks will delight the tourist, newly arrived Berkeley undergraduate, and veteran Bay Area resident alike. The circular walks, each calibrated by length, difficulty, and duration—and each accompanied by a detailed, easy-to-follow map—are sprinkled with fascinating facts about the historic staircases, the historic homes around them, and the famous Bay Area characters who gave them their names. Walk the walks of Bret Harte, Mark Twain, and John Muir! Climb Berkeley’s massive Fred Herbert and Tamalpais Paths, hike Easter Way, and summit Sunset Trail! Mount Oakland’s Oakmore stairs, then tackle the hills of Upper Rockridge and Crocker Highlands via the public staircases. And do it all within easy walking distance from BART or bus stops, free parking, and excellent Bay Area cafés.

Infrastructure of America's Tunnels
Infrastructure of America's Tunnels

Author: Marcia Amidon Lusted

Publisher: Mitchell Lane

Published: 2019-07-04

Total Pages: 70

ISBN-13: 1545745633

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Infrastructure is something that we use every day, like roads, bridges, and tunnels, but probably never think too much about. However, in the United States, many parts of the country’s infrastructure are old, falling apart, and desperately need repair and upgrading. Tunnels especially are vital to transportation, and extremely dangerous when they collapse. This book explores eight tunnels of different types that are lifelines for transportation in the US, but are now at risk. Whether its Boston’s Big Dig, the twin railroad tunnels under the Hudson River, California’s Hetch Hetchey water system, or a rail tunnel in Baltimore that’s more than 100 years old, these tunnels are very important to the entire country. Without emergency repairs and expansion, these tunnels could fail, with catastrophic results.