OAKLAND TOUCHDOWN

When completed, the Oakland Touchdown (OTD) will connect Interstate 80 in Oakland to the new side-by-side decks of the new East Span. The project involves building two roadway sections and a new electrical substation, in addition to extensive relocation of underground utilities.

For westbound drivers on Interstate 80, the OTD will be their introduction to the new graceful East Span of the Bay Bridge. For eastbound drivers from San Francisco, this section of the bridge will carry them from the Skyway into the East Bay.

The OTD is actually two projects, as the existing westbound lanes approaching the Bay Bridge from Oakland block construction of the new eastbound lanes coming off the new East Span into Oakland. The first phase of construction will build the new westbound lanes onto the East Span, as well as part of the eastbound lanes. When the first phase of OTD construction is complete, traffic will shift to the new westbound lanes and will start flowing on the new bridge. Crews will then demolish the old westbound lanes in order to connect the new eastbound lanes coming off the bridge to Interstate 80 in Oakland. Most of the new eastbound lanes will have already been built during the first OTD project. Crews will be able to quickly finish the lanes during the second OTD project, and eastbound traffic will move to the new lanes and the new bridge.

Work on the first OTD project will include the construction of approximately 1,000 feet of the westbound approach roadway, from the toll plaza to the Skyway, as well as approximately 500 feet of the structure for the eastbound approach. Crews have built a temporary trestle to provide access for construction of the OTD foundations.

Electrical Cable Relocation

While other elements of new Bay Bridge are more high-profile, crews are already in the midst of crucial work on the OTD. Before work on the OTD could even begin, crews had to relocate electrical cables near the construction site. The Submerged Electrical Cable Relocation Project was completed ahead of schedule in just three weeks, clearing the path for construction of the OTD. The existing underwater cable, which provides power to Yerba Buena Island and Treasure Island, needed to be replaced due to its proximity to the foundation work for the OTD. Two new submarine cables replaced the previous cable that stretched from Oakland to Treasure Island.