HomeAbout UsBridgesBuildingsAwards and HonorsIn the NewsJobsContact Us
Bridge Projects Donald MacDonald FAIA Bridge Architects
  San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge East Span Design:

Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3Plan of Bridge

Donald MacDonald Architects provided design services for the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (east span). Working with the acclaimed New York bridge engineering firm of Weidlinger Associates, the team designed and conceptualized various modifications on a self-anchoring suspension bridge concept, originally selected by an Engineering Design Advisory Panel. The MacDonald/Weidlinger team also worked with the joint venture of T.Y. Lin Associates International /Moffat and Nichol to create a signature bridge for the San Francisco Bay.

The MacDonald/Weidlinger team won a limited design competition against the team of H2L2 Architects and T.Y. Lin's Seattle office. The H2L2 / T.Y. Lin team had designed a cable-stay bridge for the East Bay crossing. An Engineering Design Advisory Panel was selected by the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission to review and judge the competition through different stages of development.

 View of the Final Design for the East Span After four presentations, the panel selected the MacDonald/Weidlinger self-anchoring suspension system. The selection was favored because this suspension system worked well with the family of the existing San Francisco Bay bridges. The aesthetics were superior and the seismic performance was excellent.

Click here to view more of the winning design

The MacDonald/Weidlinger design team developed ten self-anchoring suspension conceptual bridge designs, different tower structures, cabling systems and deck profiles. These concepts were tested for structural integrity and aesthetics. Models, architectural renderings done by hand and computers, and structural analysis all played a part in the final winning design.

Concepts for the Bay Bridge East Span Concepts for the Bay Bridge East Span Concepts for the Bay Bridge East Span Concepts for the Bay Bridge East Span

Click here to view more design concepts

Conceptual physical models are used to convey to the public, client and government agencies the bridge concepts and their relationship to the environment in which they will be placed. Many other features, such as renderings, material samples, montages and lighting effects, are also studied in the overall composition to create signature structures.




  Review Other Bridge Projects:

La Loma/Foothill Bridge
Strandherd Bridge
SFO Bay Bridge East Span
SFO Bay Bridge West Span
Golden Gate Bridge
Cooper River Bridge
Maxwell Bridge, Napa
I-80 Overcrossing, Berkeley
Alfred Zampa Memorial (Carquinez)
Whirlpool Bridge, Turtle Bay
3rd Street Bridge, Napa
Mid-Hudson Bridge, NY
Balboa Island Bridge
Diestelhorst Replacement Bridge
Ninth Street Bridge, Modesto
Cypress Bridge, Redding
SFO International Airport



Special Feature:

East Span Animation
(Apple QuickTime)
1.00 MB