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‘Real News:’ History of the San Francisco Bay Bridge
- Posted on August 10, 2012 at 7:23pm by
Christopher Santarelli
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This week’s Real History documentary focuses on the history of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, a historic marvel of engineering that at the time it was built used all steel made in the United States. Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, the city wanted to use only American steel to upgrade the bridge. However, the upgrade will need some steel parts from China that contractors say are not made in the United States, and now the Alliance for American Manufacturing is up in arms that the bridge will now longer be 100 percent American steel. Watch the documentary below on the history of the Bay Bridge and the challenges it now faces:
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Armyof One
Posted on August 12, 2012 at 1:24amDarmok, you got that right :)
Born and raised here, married a Shandon girl and never plan to leave. Besides, the political fight is here, and can’t be fought from out-of-state.
Jack, Commanchero’s are Mexican Indians (mainly Comanche) gone rogue, mostly in the Arizona and New Mexico territories. Murrietta was simply a bad Mexican.
Report Post »Krutch
Posted on August 11, 2012 at 12:19pmChinese steel. Are they going to use chinese labor, too?
Report Post »There are two bridges to be built in America by the chinese. The other in Alaska. I have seen photos of chinese bridge failures. They use garbage and trash for fill, not tamped earth. And cut corners on concrete content and wall size. Some photos showed the lack of re-bar in the concrete.
I see some bad ‘accidents’ in the future from these decisions
JACKTHETOAD
Posted on August 11, 2012 at 1:56pmJust like their circuit boards for the Raptors. No tickee, no safetee…just put it on the tab.
Report Post »Otherbill
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:18pmMost of the material/steel was produces by Bethlehem Steel Corp., which no longer exist. I use to have a copy of the tape showing where everything was made. I do know that the I beams came from the Bethlehem plant in Bethlehem, PA, the cables from the Williamsport Wire & Rope plant in Williamsport, PA and the roadway panels came from my home plant in Steelton, PA. Everything was shipped down through the Pannama Canal to the Bay. I still a 50th anniversary medallion. I doubt if any US produced steel exist to replace the original.
Report Post »saranda
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 9:47pmI trust the info in this article was vetted by our inhouse historian David Barton.
Report Post »obfuscatenot
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 8:43pmChinese steel caused the collapse of American(union)steel, because they were more affordable. Hmm. The Union is the murderer not Romney….or is it the Chinese?
Report Post »1ontheright
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 4:41pmUm…no. Although Chinese steel (manufacturers) did allow for and/or offer low-labor-cost competition, it was the US Unions and their Demwitcrat compatriots who priced US steel out of the market, then virtually killed the industry all together – along with the environmental whackos, of course. And they are doing the same to the auto industry; with the help of the Obowmaolinsky administration…
Report Post »Rayblue
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 8:24pmThe last bridge I worked on was the Fred Hartman bridge connecting Baytown to Laporte. Before that there was a tunnel that ran the route. It was floated out to the Gulf and sunk to provide a habitat for sea creatures. There are a lot of features on the bridge that the general public doesn’t know. It‘s an electronically monitored structure that’s so sensitive that if a seagull runs into it, Austin knows about it and sends out an alert. It had it’s problems too. But we‘re talking about San Francisco so I’ll go away quietly.
Report Post »Rayblue
Posted on August 11, 2012 at 3:09amPort of Houston has been buying Chinese cranes for years.
Report Post »Tri-ox
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 8:21pmUh no. It is an absolute lie that American steel manufacturers could not produce the steel for this bridge – there was plenty of time and, the “capacity” could have been created for this job (and it is more than a few “PARTS” for an “UPGRADE” – the entire Eastern Span is being replaced). We must remember that this bridge has been in the planning stages since Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 and has been designed and re-designed several times over the years. Of course the steel could have been produced in the United States in the period between ‘Loma Prieta’ in ‘89 and commencement of construction in 2002. The California Department of Transportation made the decision very early on to manufacture this bridge in communist China.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/business/global/26bridge.html?pagewanted=all
Report Post »marcus_arealius
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:11pmI heard that Harry Reid is getting millions in kickbacks from the Chinese through the state of Commiefornia (er.. Califaggofornia, whatever) via Federal grants for infrastructure upgrades.. and that Reid would not have gotten a dime if US sources were used.. I think I read that or heard that someplace.. could be true, could be false, it’s for Reid to prove one way or the other.
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 7:45pmA quick historical fact about the Bay Area. Back in 1869, there was a group of settlers that were out on what is now San Francisco. There was a bandito gang made up of renegade Apache, former Mexican Army and former slaves. They had kept raiding to mostly the San Obispo and Santa Barbara area, but had heard of Gold discoveries so they decided to move their raiding parties northward. They actually attacked in force around the San Jose area but found a frontal assault too difficult. They adopted mostly rear attacks and set siege to the Bay area. The settlers that were trapped on the peninsula tired very quickly of the rear attacks and vowed if they survived the siege, they would never allow their ancestors to be trapped and attacked from the rear ever again. The banditos did tire and retreated across the bay to settle the Oakland area. The survivors made plans to build the Golden Gate Bridge, to give them an escape route from rear attacks. So, ironically, over a century later, all those Californians are now taking it up the rear again, this time from their elected officials, especially the officials that come from Oakland who still prefer the rear attack.
Report Post »Armyof One
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 8:42pmMr. Metaphor– It’s San LUIS (LOO-iss) Obispo, my home town :)
The most noted local bandito was Joaquin Murrietta, who made famous the habit of killing just about everyone. His head was put on display for many weeks after his demise.
While not “our” bad guy, a northern California bandit made a longer lasting name for himself: Black Bart. His name is still used in song, TV, and film…..not to mention The Simpsons.
Lastly, there is good evidence that the James brothers, Jesse and Frank, not only visited relatives in our county, but lived here for quite a while. Unfounded rumor has it that Frank is buried here.
To the article, the Bay Bridge is being replaced by a new bridge that parallels the original. This one is indeed made from Chinese steel.
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 9:03pmDid black bart attack his victims from the rear?
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 10:31pmBy the way ArmyofOne, I absolutely think the San Luis Obispo area and Santa Barbara area is Heaven. The most beautiful area I have seen in my life. I lived in Sacramento for a few years and loved the area, hated the politics. California would be the best state in the Union, if not for the lefties.
Report Post »JACKTHETOAD
Posted on August 11, 2012 at 1:54pmThey were called ‘Commancheros’.
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