S-Curve (1 of 15) <<-first last->> slideshow <-previous next->
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S-Curve (1 of 15) <<-first last->> slideshow <-previous next->
West Bound (155 views)
Temporary S-Curve
Yerba Buena Island, San Francisco, California
(Photo posted Sunday 31 October 2010)
(Photo taken 11:53:22 Sunday 20 June 2010)
© 2010 Bryan Costales
  Creative Commons License comment

The lower deck of the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge moves traffic west from San Francisco toward Oakland to the east. Ahead was the tunnel through Yerba Buena Island. Just beyond that tunnel was the new S-Curve. Note the early presence of warning signs.

Related Stories: Eastern Span Replacement ° History ° Old Oakland ° San Francisco ° Tubes
Yerba Buena Tunnel
Yerba Buena Tunnel (168 views)
by Bryan Costales
(2 of 15) Visible at at the end of the tunnel through Yerba Buena Island was the start of the S-Curve. Notice the brake lights on cars and all the warning arrows and signs ahead of them. Barely visible in the
Sharp To The Right
Sharp To The Right (151 views)
by Bryan Costales
(3 of 15) The roadway curved first to the right. Note from the ceiling how the old roadway went straight. The new Oakland side of the bridge will connect straight in when it is complete. Meanwhile this detour
Then Turn To The Left
Then Turn To The Left (149 views)
by Bryan Costales
(4 of 15) A speed of 40 m.p.h. was clearly emblazoned on the street surface. Solid lines inhibited changing of lanes while inside the curve. Notice how far to the side this S-Curve took the road from
Visible Was The New Bridge
Visible Was The New Bridge (167 views)
by Bryan Costales
(5 of 15) Off the side of the S-Curve was the new bridge still under construction. Visible here were the new uprights for the island side of the new bridge. Those are built on the old straight path that the
Straight Before Final Curve
Straight Before Final Curve (166 views)
by Bryan Costales
(6 of 15) The S-Curve continued straight back toward the old bridge. The final curve would be where the temporary S-Curve slpiced into the old bridge.
Final Right Turn
Final Right Turn (128 views)
by Bryan Costales
(7 of 15) The S-Curve concluded eastbound where it spliced back into the old bridge. This is were traffic began to speed back up to 55 and beyond.
New Bridge Glimpsed
New Bridge Glimpsed (183 views)
by Bryan Costales
(8 of 15) Off the S-Curve to the left a glimpse of the new bridge came into view. This was the very end of how far it had been constructed so far. Notice the massive thickness of this new bridge.
West Bound S-Curve
West Bound S-Curve (152 views)
by Bryan Costales
(9 of 15) Westbound on the upper deck of the Oakland side of the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge warnings appeared ahead. Signs warned to slow down for the upcoming S-Curve.
Radar Speed Signs
Radar Speed Signs (137 views)
by Bryan Costales
(10 of 15) Radar signs flashed car speeds as traffic approached the start of the S-Curve.
Arrows And Flashing Lights
Arrows And Flashing Lights (154 views)
by Bryan Costales
(11 of 15) Arrows and flashing lights drew attention to the start of the S-Curve. Here on the upper deck, the first turn was to the left.
The Left Turn
The Left Turn (152 views)
by Bryan Costales
(12 of 15) The turn to the left was meant to be taken at 30 m.p.h. Yerba Buena Island just came into view.
An Off-Ramp
An Off-Ramp (160 views)
by Bryan Costales
(13 of 15) Ahead, an off-ramp appeared for traffic to exit left onto Yerba Buena Island. The offramp was part of the S-Curve and ahead of the island's tunnel.
End Ahead
End Ahead (145 views)
by Bryan Costales
(14 of 15) The end of the S-Curve laid ahead as it turned into the Yerba Buena Island Tunnel. Left of the current traffic lane was the exit for the island. Note the matching on-ramp was at the other end of the
Entered The Tunnel
Entered The Tunnel (177 views)
by Bryan Costales
(15 of 15) The S-Curve westbound ended as it entered Yerba Buena Island Tunnel. Again, as the curve neared its end was where traffic began to increase speed.