Misplaced Pages

#317682

89-534: From 1903 to the early 1940s, the site of the park was the east end of the Key System mole, a long causeway and pier which once extended nearly to Yerba Buena Island. Key System trains ran the length of the mole to the ferry slips where transbay commuters transferred between trains and ferryboats. During the construction of the Bay Bridge in the 1930s, the site was transformed for the planned bridge railway on

178-772: A "shaft" in the form of the Key pier, the "teeth" representing the ferry berths at the end of the pier. The company touted its 'key route', which led to the adoption of the name "Key System". In 1908, the SFOSJR changed its name to the San Francisco, Oakland & San Jose Consolidated Railway ; it changed to the San Francisco-Oakland Terminal Railway in 1912. Smith was ousted from the company in 1913. After it went bankrupt in December 1923, it

267-503: A bridge had a widespread public and political appeal. Yet the task was too much of an engineering and economic challenge, since the bay was too wide and too deep there. In 1921, more than forty years after Norton's death, an underground tube was considered, but it became clear that one would be inadequate for vehicular traffic. Support for a trans-bay crossing increased in the 1920s based on the popularity and availability of automobiles. The California State Legislature and governor enacted

356-462: A center anchorage. Rincon Hill is the western anchorage and touch-down for the San Francisco landing of the bridge connected by three shorter truss spans. The eastern crossing, between Yerba Buena Island and Oakland, was a cantilever bridge with a double-tower span, five medium truss spans, and a 14-section truss causeway . Due to earthquake concerns, the eastern crossing was replaced by

445-652: A company called the "Realty Syndicate" which acquired large tracts of undeveloped land throughout the East Bay. The Realty Syndicate also built two large hotels, each served by a San Francisco-bound train, the Claremont and the Key Route Inn , and a popular amusement park in Oakland called Idora Park . Streetcar lines were also routed to serve all these properties, thereby enhancing their value. In its early years,

534-446: A dynamite blast on the eastern side of the island at 12:58 p.m. local time. Former President Herbert Hoover and Governor James Rolph were onsite; the two men were the first to turn over the earth with ceremonial golden spades. Other ceremonies took place simultaneously in San Francisco (on Rincon Hill ) and Oakland Harbor. The Yerba Buena Tunnel opened, along with the rest of the Bay Bridge, on November 12, 1936. As of 2019,

623-564: A ferry pier on San Francisco Bay , later via the lower deck of the Bay Bridge . At its height during the 1940s, the Key System had over 66 miles (106 km) of track. The local streetcars were discontinued in 1948 and the commuter trains to San Francisco were discontinued in 1958. The Key System's territory is today served by BART and AC Transit bus service. The system began as a consolidation of several streetcar lines assembled in

712-521: A ferry terminal near Yerba Buena Island . Filling for the causeway had been started by a short-lived narrow-gauge railroad company in the late 19th century, the California and Nevada Railroad . "Borax" Smith acquired the causeway from the California and Nevada upon its bankruptcy. On December 4, 1924, six people were killed in a train collision on the mole. On May 6, 1933, a major fire erupted on

801-604: A former U.S. Congressman from California, traveled to Washington to help persuade President Herbert Hoover and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to advance $ 62 million to build the bridge. Before work began, 12 massive underwater telephone cables were moved 1,000 feet (300 m) of the proposed bridge route by crews of the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co. during the summer of 1931. Construction began on July 9, 1933 after

890-481: A four-car train carrying 250 passengers, departing downtown Berkeley for the ferry to San Francisco . Before the end of 1903, Frank C. Havens , the general manager of the SFOSJR, devised the idea of using a stylized map on which the system's routes resembled an old-fashioned key, with three "handle loops" that covered the cities of Berkeley, Piedmont (initially, "Claremont" shared the Piedmont loop) and Oakland, and

979-418: A groundbreaking ceremony attended by former president Herbert Hoover , dignitaries, and local beauty queens. The western section of the bridge between San Francisco and Yerba Buena Island presented an enormous engineering challenge. The bay was up to 100 feet (30 m) deep in places and the soil required new foundation-laying techniques. A single main suspension span some 4,100 feet (1.2 km) in length

SECTION 10

#1732798575318

1068-751: A law, effective in 1929, to establish the California Toll Bridge Authority (Stats. 1929, Chap 763) and to authorize it and the State Department of Public Works to build a bridge connecting San Francisco and Alameda County (Stats. 1929, Chap 762). The state appointed a commission to evaluate the idea and various designs for a bridge across the Bay, the Hoover-Young Commission . Its conclusions were made public in 1930. In January 1931, Charles H. Purcell ,

1157-425: A new crossing that opened on Labor Day 2013. On Yerba Buena Island, the double-decked crossing is a 321-foot (98 m) concrete viaduct east of the west span's cable anchorage, the 540-foot (160 m) Yerba Buena Tunnel through the island's rocky central hill, another 790.8-foot (241.0 m) concrete viaduct, and a longer curved high-level steel truss viaduct that spans the final 1,169.7 feet (356.5 m) to

1246-439: A pair of pantographs , invented and manufactured by the Key System's own shops, were installed to collect current from overhead wires to power a pair of electric motors on each car, one on each truck (bogie). The design of rolling stock changed over the years. Wood gave way to steel, and, instead of doors at each end, center doors were adopted. The later rolling stock consisted of specially designed "bridge units" for use on

1335-625: A petition with the PUC "against the Key System, seeking restoration of the bus service on the #70 Chabot Bus line". The city councils of Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro opposed the removal of street cars. The traffic planners supported removal of the streetcar lines to facilitate movement of automobiles. Local governments in the East Bay attempted to purchase the Key System, but were unsuccessful. Streetcars were converted to buses during November/December 1948. In 1949 National City Lines, General Motors and others were convicted of conspiring to monopolize

1424-559: A project which created the artificial Treasure Island . The contract to build the Yerba Buena Cable Anchorage, Tunnel & Viaduct segment was opened for bids on March 28, 1933, and awarded to the low bidder, Clinton Construction Company of California, for $ 1,821,129.50 (equivalent to $ 34 million in 2023 ). Yerba Buena Island was the main site of the official groundbreaking for the Bay Bridge on July 9, 1933, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt remotely set off

1513-720: A transfer station in Emeryville and the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond. National City Lines acquired 64% of the stock in the system in 1946. The same year E. Jay Quinby hand published a document exposing the ownership of National City Lines ( General Motors , Firestone Tire , and Phillips Petroleum ). He addressed the publication to The Mayors; The City Manager; The City Transit Engineer; The members of The Committee on Mass-Transportation and The Tax-Payers and The Riding Citizens of Your Community . In it he wrote "This

1602-421: Is 76 feet (23 m) wide and 58 feet (18 m) high overall, and the dimensions of the tunnel interior are 66 feet (20 m) wide and 53 feet (16 m) high. In 1936, it was hailed as the world's largest-bore tunnel. The cross-sectional area of the upper half is 1,500 square feet (140 m ), and the lower half is 1,000 square feet (93 m ). Reminders of the long-gone bridge railway survive along

1691-472: Is an urgent warning to each and every one of you that there is a careful, deliberately planned campaign to swindle you out of your most important and valuable public utilities–your Electric Railway System". The new owners made a number of rapid changes. In 1946 they cut back the A-1 train route and then the express trains in 1947. The company increased fares in 1946 and then in both January and November 1947. During

1780-532: Is in use as an access to the EBMUD treatment plant) and onto 40th St. Due to falling ridership, Sacramento Northern and IER service ended in 1941. On September 13, 1942, a stop was opened at Yerba Buena Island to serve expanded wartime needs on adjacent Treasure Island. Despite the vital role the railroad played, the last train went over the bridge in April 1958. The tracks were removed and replaced with pavement on

1869-400: Is named after Judge John Sutter, an East Bay civic and environmental leader who led a long career as a superior court judge, as Oakland's vice mayor, and as former East Bay Regional Park District Director. He was the president and a founding member of Citizens for Regional Recreation and Parks and was instrumental in obtaining and preserving public access to the bay shoreline. The park features

SECTION 20

#1732798575318

1958-681: The Bay Bridge , is a complex of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay in California . As part of Interstate 80 and the direct road between San Francisco and Oakland , it carries about 260,000 vehicles a day on its two decks. It includes one of the longest bridge spans in the United States . The toll bridge was conceived as early as the California gold rush days, with "Emperor" Joshua Norton famously advocating for it, but construction did not begin until 1933. Designed by Charles H. Purcell , and built by American Bridge Company , it opened on Thursday, November 12, 1936, six months before

2047-522: The Departments of War , Navy , and Commerce . The state applied for permits from the 3 federal departments as required. The permits were granted in January 1932, and formally presented in a ceremony on Yerba Buena Island on February 24, 1932. On May 25, 1931, Governor James Rolph Jr. signed into law two acts: one providing for the financing of state bridges by revenue bonds, and another creating

2136-570: The George Washington Bridge had a longer span between towers. As part of the celebration a United States commemorative coin was produced by the San Francisco Mint . A half dollar , the obverse portrays California's symbol, the grizzly bear , while the reverse presents a picture of the bridge spanning the bay. A total of 71,369 coins were sold, some from the bridge's tollbooths. The Yerba Buena passage utilizes

2225-470: The Golden Gate Bridge . It originally carried automobile traffic on its upper deck, with trucks, cars, buses and commuter trains on the lower, but after the Key System abandoned its rail service on April 20, 1958, the lower deck was converted to all-road traffic as well. On October 12, 1963, traffic was reconfigured to one way traffic on each deck, westbound on the upper deck, and eastbound on

2314-408: The Key System . Freight trains never used the bridge. The tracks left the lower deck in San Francisco just southwest of the end of 1st St. They then went along an elevated viaduct above city streets, looping around and into the terminal on its east end. Departing trains exited on the loop back onto the bridge. The loop continued to be used by buses until the terminal's closure in 2010. The tracks left

2403-679: The Oakland Army Base at the site as a transportation port and distribution terminal. For 60 years, it served as an entry and return point for supplies, equipment, and soldiers that served in World War II , the Korean War , the Vietnam War , Operation Desert Shield , and Operation Desert Storm . The base closed in 1999. The idea of the park was thought up by former Park District Board Member John Sutter, who first proposed

2492-647: The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge , bringing Key System trains to the then-new Transbay Terminal in San Francisco's downtown. The bridge railway and Transbay Terminal were shared with the Southern Pacific 's Interurban Electric and the Western Pacific 's Sacramento Northern railroads. The Key System's first trains were composed of standard wooden railroad passenger cars , complete with clerestory roofs. Atop each of these,

2581-532: The Southern Pacific commuter ferry market as well as develop new streetcar suburbs in the East Bay . The troubled California & Nevada Railroad had begun construction of a ferry pier in Oakland, but its plans were never realized. Smith purchased the railroad in order to gain access to its right of way and waterfront operations, as well as use the abandoned pier as a starting point for his own passenger mole . Transbay service began on October 26, 1903, with

2670-533: The Temescal District of Oakland. The Elmhurst Carhouse was in the east Oakland district of Elmhurst , on East 14th (International Blvd.) between 94th and 96th Avenues. The Northern Carhouse was in Richmond where today's AC Transit has a bus yard. In the early years of operation, these were supplemented by a number of smaller carbarns scattered throughout the East Bay area, many of them inherited from

2759-563: The Yerba Buena Tunnel , also known as the Yerba Buena Island Tunnel . The tunnel is 76 feet (23 m) wide, 58 feet (18 m) high, and 540 feet (160 m) long. It is the largest diameter transportation bore tunnel in the world. The large amount of material that was excavated in boring the tunnel was used for a portion of the landfill over the shoals lying adjacent to Yerba Buena Island to its north,

Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline - Misplaced Pages Continue

2848-462: The median of the road for bridge employees; the parking lot is about 1,900 feet (580 m) long, stretching from about 800 feet (240 m) east of the toll plaza to about 100 feet (30 m) west of the metering lights. During the morning commute hours, traffic congestion on the westbound approach from Oakland stretches back through the MacArthur Maze interchange at the east end of

2937-449: The 1200 volts used by the SP commuter trains. The cars had an enclosed operator's cab in the right front, with passenger seats extending to the very front of the vehicle, a favorite seat for many children, with dramatic views of the tracks ahead. The exterior color of the cars was orange and silver. Interior upholstery was woven reed seat covers in one of the articulated sections, and leather in

3026-494: The Bay Bridge, including the construction of the Yerba Buena Tunnel. Before starting excavation, the ground through which the western half of the tunnel would be bored was stabilized by injecting cement grout under pressure through 25 1.5-inch (38 mm) holes bored into the loose rock over the crown of the tunnel. After excavating the western and eastern open portals, three drifts were bored from west to east along

3115-516: The Board of Supervisors, in which compromise with the Central Pacific was recommended; also the bridging of the bay at Ravenswood and the granting of railroad facilities at Mission Bay and on the water front. Wm. C. Ralston, ex-Mayor Selby and James Otis were on this committee. A daily newspaper attempts to account for the advice of these gentlemen to the city by hinting that they were afraid of

3204-566: The Key System was actually a subsidiary of the Realty Syndicate. Berkeley's numerous paths, lanes, walks and steps, were put in place in many of the newly developed neighborhoods, often in the middle of a city block, so that commuters could walk more directly to the new train system. Berkeley's pathways are still maintained by local groups. Signs of the system still remain: San Francisco%E2%80%93Oakland Bay Bridge The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge , commonly referred to as

3293-487: The San Francisco entrance to the bridge, was jammed with a slowly moving auto caravan. Every available policeman in the department was called to duty to aid in regulating the city's greatest parade of autos. One of the greatest traffic congestions of the evening was at Fifth and Mission Streets, with downtown traffic and bridge-bound traffic snarled in an almost hopeless mass. To add to the confusion, traffic signals jammed and did not synchronize. Police reported that there

3382-524: The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge Division of the State Department of Public Works. On September 15, 1931, this new division opened its offices at 500 Sansome Street in San Francisco. During 1931, numerous aerial photographs were taken of the chosen route for the bridge and its approaches. That year, engineers had not determined the final design concept for the western span between San Francisco and Yerba Buena Island, although

3471-554: The State Highway Engineer of California, who had also served as the secretary of the Hoover-Young Commission, assumed the position of Chief Engineer for the Bay Bridge. Glenn B. Woodruff served as design engineer for the project. He explained in a 1936 article that several elements of the bridge required not only new designs, but also new theories of design. To make the bridge feasible, a route

3560-624: The United States. Of the large bridge units, three are at the Western Railway Museum near Rio Vista, California while another is at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in southern California. The initial connection across the Bay to San Francisco was by ferryboat via a causeway and pier (" mole "), extending from the end of Yerba Buena Avenue in Oakland, California , westward 16,000 feet (4,900 m) to

3649-411: The bay to Oakland was spanned by a 10,176-foot (3.102 km) combination of double cantilever, five long-span through-trusses, and a truss causeway, forming the longest bridge of its kind at the time. The cantilever section was longest in the nation and third-longest anywhere. Much of the original eastern section was founded upon treated wood pilings. Because of the very deep mud on the bay bottom, it

Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline - Misplaced Pages Continue

3738-404: The bridge onto the three feeder highways, Interstate 580 , Interstate 880 , and I-80 toward Richmond . Since the number of lanes on the eastbound approach from San Francisco is structurally restricted, eastbound backups are also frequent during evening commute hours. The eastbound bottleneck is not the bridge itself, but the approach, which has just three lanes in each direction, in contrast to

3827-455: The bridge's five. The western section of the Bay Bridge is currently restricted to motorized freeway traffic. Pedestrians, bicycles, and other non-freeway vehicles are not allowed to cross this section. A project to add bicycle/pedestrian lanes to the western section has been proposed but is not finalized. A Caltrans bicycle shuttle operates between Oakland and San Francisco during peak commute hours for $ 1.00 each way. Freeway ramps next to

3916-423: The bridge, the new eastern section is a single deck carrying all eastbound and westbound lanes. Demolition of the old east span was completed on September 8, 2018. The bridge consists of two crossings, east and west of Yerba Buena Island , a natural mid-bay outcropping inside San Francisco city limits. The western crossing between Yerba Buena and downtown San Francisco has two complete suspension spans connected at

4005-553: The cantilever bridge. The toll plaza on the Oakland side (westbound traffic only since 1969) has eighteen toll lanes, with all charges now made either through the FasTrak electronic toll collection system or through invoices mailed through the USPS , based on the license plate of the car per Department of Motor Vehicle records. Metering signals are about 1,000 feet (300 m) west of the toll plaza. Two full-time bus-only lanes bypass

4094-413: The cities of Oakland , Berkeley , Alameda , Emeryville , Piedmont , San Leandro , Richmond , Albany , and El Cerrito in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area from 1903 until 1960, when it was sold to a newly formed public agency, AC Transit . The Key System consisted of local streetcar and bus lines in the East Bay, and commuter rail and bus lines connecting the East Bay to San Francisco by

4183-703: The city would lose its position as the regional center of trade. Businessmen had considered the concept of a bridge spanning the San Francisco Bay since the Gold Rush days. During the 1870s, several newspaper articles explored the idea. In early 1872, a "Bay Bridge Committee" was hard at work on plans to construct a railroad bridge. The April 1872 issue of the San Francisco Real Estate Circular reported on this committee: The Bay Bridge Committee lately submitted its report to

4272-765: The concept of a waterfront park at the then current Oakland Army Base in a 1967 letter to the Association of Bay Area Governments . The park is the culmination of decades of cooperation between a nine member consortium of local, regional, and state agencies, which includes the City of Oakland, the Association of Bay Area Governments, the East Bay Regional Park District, and the California Department of Transportation . The park

4361-422: The construction of the Bay Bridge was part of the upper deck lining in late summer 1936. This included the emplacement of regularly spaced refuge bays ("deadman holes") along the south wall of the lower deck tunnel, escape alcoves common in all railway tunnels into which track maintenance workers could duck if a train came along. These remain and are visible to eastbound motorists today. The completed tunnel bore

4450-519: The entrance to the bay, San Francisco was well placed to prosper during the California Gold Rush . Almost all goods not produced locally arrived by ship, as did numerous travelers and erstwhile miners. But after the first transcontinental railroad was completed in May 1869, San Francisco was on the wrong side of the Bay, and separated from the new rail link. Many San Franciscans feared that

4539-555: The former US president Herbert Hoover , Senator William G. McAdoo , and the Governor of California , Frank Merriam . Governor Merriam opened the bridge by cutting gold chains across it with an acetylene cutting torch . The San Francisco Chronicle report of November 13, 1936, read: the greatest traffic jam in the history of S.F., a dozen old-fashioned New Year's eves thrown into one – the biggest and most good-natured crowd of tens of thousands ever to try and walk

SECTION 50

#1732798575318

4628-434: The idea of a double-span suspension bridge was already favored. In April 1932, the preliminary final plan and design of the bridge was presented by Chief Engineer Charles Purcell to Col. Walter E. Garrison, Director of the State Department of Public Works, and to Ralph Modjeski , head of the Board of Engineering Consultants. Both agencies approved and preparation of the final design proceeded. In 1932, Joseph R. Knowland ,

4717-399: The increasing use of buses. Initially a separate company, it was formed by the merger of six local street railroads. The numbering of the streetcar lines changed several times over the years. The Key System's streetcars operated out of several carbarns. The Central Carhouse was on the east side of Lake Merritt on Third Avenue. The Western Carhouse was located at 51st and Telegraph Avenue in

4806-485: The late 1890s and early 1900s by Francis Marion "Borax" Smith and his business interests. After having made a fortune in Borax and gained his nickname, "Borax", the entrepreneur turned to real estate and electric traction for streetcars. The Key System was founded as the San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose Railway (SFOSJR) , incorporated in 1902. After consolidating local lines under one company, Smith sought to compete with

4895-430: The lower deck and the bridge was closed for a month. Reconstruction of the eastern section of the bridge as a causeway connected to a self-anchored suspension bridge began in 2002; the new eastern section opened September 2, 2013, at a reported cost of over $ 6.5 billion; the original estimate of $ 250 million was for a seismic retrofit of the existing span. Unlike the western section and the original eastern section of

4984-457: The lower deck in Oakland. The Interurban Electric Railway tracks ran along Engineer Road and over the Southern Pacific yard on trestles (some of it is still standing and visible from nearby roadways) onto the streets and dedicated right-of-ways in Berkeley, Albany, Oakland and Alameda. The Sacramento Northern and Key System tracks went under the SP tracks through a tunnel (which still exists and

5073-520: The lower deck of the Bay Bridge, to be used by the Southern Pacific , Sacramento Northern and the Key System. Service over the bridge railway commenced in January 1939. A substation located at the site provided electrical power to all the Key System trains. The 1930s-era industrial Bridge Yard building was a maintenance center for the electric trains. In 1941, the Department of the Army established

5162-514: The lower deck, with trucks and buses also allowed on the upper deck. In 1986, the bridge was unofficially dedicated to former California governor James Rolph . The bridge has two sections of roughly equal length; the older western section, officially known as the Willie L. Brown Jr. Bridge (after former San Francisco Mayor and California State Assembly Speaker Willie L. Brown Jr. ), connects downtown San Francisco to Yerba Buena Island , and

5251-424: The new bridge, articulated cars sharing a common central truck and including central passenger entries in each car, a forerunner of the design of most light rail vehicles today. Several of these pairs were connected to make up a train. Power pickup was via pantograph from overhead catenary wires, except on the Bay Bridge where a third rail pickup was used. The Key's trains ran on 600 volt direct current , compared to

5340-402: The newer east bay section connects the island to Oakland. The western section is a double suspension bridge with two decks, westbound traffic being carried on the upper deck while eastbound is carried on the lower one. The largest span of the original eastern section was a cantilever bridge . During the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake , a portion of the eastern section's upper deck collapsed onto

5429-455: The newly renovated Bridge Yard building, which serves as a hub for activity and as a venue for public events and conferences. The 24,000 square foot, 1930s era building is due to serve as a space for recreational programming and event space. Made from the existing foundations of the old Bay Bridge, the park has a 600-foot long observation pier with views of the bay and the bridge. The pier also provides public waterfront access for fishing. With

SECTION 60

#1732798575318

5518-620: The opening of the park, improved parking and pedestrian access has made it easier to access the Alexander Zuckermann Bay Bridge Trail . Open to both cyclists and pedestrians, the trail, which opened in 2016, is part of the San Francisco Bay Trail and extends across the Bay Bridge to both Yerba Buena and Treasure Island . Key System The Key System (or Key Route ) was a privately owned company that provided mass transit in

5607-405: The order (some units of which had already been painted for the Key and delivered to Oakland) to its own Los Angeles Transit Lines , where they ran until 1963. The last Key streetcars ran on November 28, 1948, replaced by buses. From the beginning, the Key System had been conceived as a dual real estate and transportation system. "Borax" Smith and his partner Frank C. Havens first established

5696-411: The other, the smoking section. The flooring was linoleum . During WWII, the roofs were painted gray for aerial camouflage. After acquisition by National City Lines, all Key vehicles including the bridge units were re-painted in that company's standard colors, yellow and green. Until the Bay Bridge railway began operation, Key commuter trains had no letter designation. They were generally referred to by

5785-414: The ownership of these companies. In 1948 National City Lines proposed a plan to convert all the streetcars to buses. They placed an advertisement in the local papers explaining their plan to 'modernize' and 'motorize' Line 14. The Oakland City Council opposed the plan by 5–3. The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) supported the plan which included large fare increases. In October 1948, 700 people signed

5874-451: The path of the tunnel: one at the crown and the other two at the lower corners. The first drift broke through in July 1934, approximately one year after the start of construction. A ceremonial party led by Governor Merriam celebrated the completion of the first 12-foot-square (3.7 m) drift on July 24 by walking through it, followed by a short speech. The space between the three drifts

5963-693: The period there were many complaints of overcrowding. On April   9, 1947, nine corporations and seven individuals (constituting officers and directors of certain of the corporate defendants) were indicted in the Federal District Court of Southern California on two counts: ' conspiring to acquire control of a number of transit companies, forming a transportation monopoly ' and 'Conspiring to monopolize sales of buses and supplies to companies owned by National City Lines'. They were convicted of conspiring to monopolize sales of buses and supplies. They were acquitted of conspiring to monopolize

6052-551: The pier end of the mole, consuming the ferry terminal building as well as gutting the ferryboat Peralta . The pier was subsequently reconstructed further south and a new terminal building erected. The Key System operated a fleet of ferries between the Key Route Pier and the San Francisco Ferry Building until January 15, 1939, when a new dual track opened on the south side of the lower deck of

6141-469: The pre-Key companies acquired by "Borax" Smith. The Key streetcars were originally painted dark green and cream white, then orange. They were re-painted in the green and yellow scheme of National City Lines after NCL acquired the Key System. The Key System had ordered 40 trolley coaches from ACF-Brill in 1945 to convert the East Bay trolley lines. The new NCL management canceled the Key's trackless program in 1946 before wire changes were made, and diverted

6230-559: The principal street or district they served, though the Key System did not have any formal naming scheme outside of letter designations. D was reserved for a proposed line into Montclair alongside the Sacramento Northern interurban railway. Shortly after opening of the Bay Bridge to train traffic, the Key System continued to use its pier for special service trains for ferry service to the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island   — these were given

6319-504: The railroad company, and therefore made their recommendations to suit its interests. The self-proclaimed Emperor Norton decreed three times in 1872 that a suspension bridge be constructed to connect Oakland with San Francisco. In the third of these decrees, in September 1872, Norton, frustrated that nothing had happened, proclaimed: WHEREAS, we issued our decree ordering the citizens of San Francisco and Oakland to appropriate funds for

6408-522: The sale of buses and related products to their subsidiary transit companies throughout the U.S. Between 1946 and 1954 transbay fares increased from 20¢ to 50¢ ($ 3 to $ 6 adjusted for inflation). Fares in this period were used to operate and for 'motorisation' which included streetcar track removal, repaving, purchase of new buses and the construction of bus maintenance facilities. Transbay ridership fell from 22.2   million in 1946 to 9.8   million in 1952. The Key System's famed commuter train system

6497-458: The same letter designations. AC Transit preserved the letter-designated routes when it took over the Key System two years later, and are still in use; AC Transit's B, C, E, F, G and H lines follow roughly the corresponding Key routes and neighborhoods. The Key System's streetcars operated as a separate division under the name "Oakland Traction Company", later changed to "East Bay Street Railways. Ltd", and finally to "East Bay Transit Co.", reflecting

6586-412: The south side of the lower Yerba Buena Tunnel. These are the regularly spaced refuge bays ("deadman holes"), escape alcoves common in all railway tunnels, along the wall, into which track maintenance workers could safely retreat if a train came along. (The north side, which always carried only motor traffic, lacks these holes.) The bridge opened on November 12, 1936, at 12:30 p.m. In attendance were

6675-537: The special designation "X". The service was discontinued at the end of the first year of the Exposition and not revived for the 1940 season. On September 13, 1942, a stop was opened at Yerba Buena Island to serve expanded wartime needs on adjacent Treasure Island. It remained after the war until the end of all rail service on the Key System. The A, B, C, E and F lines were the last Key System rail lines. Train service ended on April 20, 1958, replaced by buses using

6764-426: The streets and guide their autos on them – This was the city last night, the night of the bridge opening with every auto owner in the bay region, seemingly, trying to crowd his machine onto the great bridge. And those who tried to view the brilliantly lighted structure from the hilltops and also view the fireworks display were numbered also in the thousands. Every intersection in the city, particularly those near

6853-633: The survey of a suspension bridge from Oakland Point via Goat Island; also for a tunnel; and to ascertain which is the best project; and whereas the said citizens have hitherto neglected to notice our said decree; and whereas we are determined our authority shall be fully respected; now, therefore, we do hereby command the arrest by the army of both the Boards of City Fathers if they persist in neglecting our decrees. Given under our royal hand and seal at San Francisco, this 17th day of September, 1872. Unlike most of Emperor Norton's eccentric ideas, his decree to build

6942-407: The toll booths and metering lights around the right (north) side of the toll plaza; other high occupancy vehicles can use these lanes during weekday morning and afternoon commute periods. The two far-left toll lanes are high-occupancy vehicle lanes during weekday commute periods. Radio and television traffic reports will often refer to congestion at the toll plaza, metering lights, or a parking lot in

7031-548: The tunnel lacks an official name. Construction of the Bridge Railway began on November 29, 1937, with the laying of the first ties. The first train was run across the Bay Bridge on September 23, 1938, a test run utilizing a Key System train consisting of two articulated units with California Governor Frank Merriam at the controls. On January 14, 1939, the San Francisco Transbay Terminal

7120-428: The tunnel provide access to Yerba Buena Island and Treasure Island . Because the toll plaza is on the Oakland side, the western span is a de facto non-tolled bridge; traffic between the island and the main part of San Francisco can freely cross back and forth. Those who only travel from Oakland to Yerba Buena Island, and not the entire length to the main part of San Francisco, still must pay the full toll. Developed at

7209-414: The tunnel roof and lower deck was excavated using a power shovel. By May 1935, work on removing the core was progressing and 40 steel ribs had been placed; concrete embedment was just starting. Removal of the core was completed on November 18, 1935. Once the excavation was complete, the upper deck was placed and the interior ceiling above the upper deck was lined with tiles. The last concrete poured during

7298-440: Was chosen via Yerba Buena Island , which would reduce both the material and the labor needed. Since Yerba Buena Island was a U.S. Navy base at the time, the state had to gain approval from Congress for this purpose as it regulates and controls all federal lands and the armed services . After a great deal of lobbying, California received Congressional approval to use the island on February 20, 1931, subject to final approvals by

7387-418: Was considered but rejected, as it would have required too much fill and reduced wharfage space at San Francisco, had less vertical clearance for shipping, and cost more than the design ultimately adopted. The solution was to construct a massive concrete anchorage halfway between San Francisco and the island, and to build a main suspension span on each side of this central anchorage. East of Yerba Buena Island,

7476-608: Was dedicated. The following morning, January 15, 1939, the electric interurban trains started in revenue service, running along the south side of the lower deck of the bridge. The terminal originally was supposed to open at the same time as the Bay Bridge, but had been delayed. Trains over the Bridge Railway were operated by the Sacramento Northern Railroad ( Western Pacific ), the Interurban Electric Railway ( Southern Pacific ) and

7565-434: Was dismantled in 1958 after many years of declining ridership as well by the corrupt monopolistic efforts of National City Lines. The last run was on April   20, 1958. In 1960, the newly formed publicly owned AC Transit took over the Key System's facilities. Most of the rolling stock was scrapped, with some sold to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Several streetcars, interurbans and bridge units were salvaged for collections in

7654-436: Was no lessening of the traffic over the bridge, all lanes being crowded with Oakland- or San-Francisco-bound machines far into the night. The total cost was US$ 77 million. Before opening the bridge was blessed by Cardinal Secretary of State Eugene Cardinal Pacelli , later Pope Pius XII . Because it was in effect two bridges strung together, the western spans were ranked the second and third largest suspension bridges . Only

7743-428: Was not practical to reach bedrock, although the lower levels of the mud are quite firm. Long wooden pilings were crafted from entire old-growth Douglas fir trees, which were driven through the soft mud to the firmer bottom layers. The construction project had casualties: twenty-four men would die while constructing the bridge. California Department of Transportation engineer C.H. Purcell served as chief engineer for

7832-686: Was re-organized as the Key System Transit Co. , adopting a marketing concept as the name of the company. Following the Great Crash of 1929 , a holding company called the Railway Equipment & Realty Co. was created, with the subsidiary Key System Ltd running the commuter trains. In 1938, the name became the Key System . During World War II , the Key System built and operated the Shipyard Railway between

7921-429: Was then excavated, resulting in a single arch-shaped bore (in cross-section), and the tunnel roof was constructed using 16-inch (410 mm) steel I-beam ribs spaced 3 feet (0.91 m) apart to support the rock, which were then embedded in concrete up to 3 feet (0.91 m) thick at the crown. No cave-ins occurred during the excavation of the tunnel. After the roof was completed, the remaining core of rock between

#317682