BAY AREA (BCN) -- It's been a long time coming, but local and state leaders Tuesday are breaking ground on a new eastern span for the Bay Bridge to replace a section that failed during the Loma Prieta earthquake 13 years ago.
The $2.6 billion project, delayed during eight years of study and then even longer by a political tug of war over the proposed route and design elements, will get under way at Treasure Island this afternoon. The new, $2.18 million span will link Oakland to Yerba Buena Island in the middle of the Bay, where westbound motorists will proceed onto a seismically retrofitted western span to arrive in San Francisco.

Caltrans spokesman Colin Jones credited Gov. Gray Davis, who heads up the speaker list today along with Mayor Willie Brown of San Francisco and Mayor Jerry Brown of Oakland, for "breaking the logjam" that included differences among not only local leaders but U.S. military agency officials. He said many of the key agreements allowing the project to go ahead occurred since Davis took office in 1998.

The heavily used bridge connecting San Francisco and the East Bay first opened in 1936, following a decade-long effort to link the two shores. It was considered a major engineering feat at the time.

Jones said the new span, expected to be completed in 2006, will ultimately be a much better one for all the wrangling over the years.

"There'll be bike lanes, there'll be better views," he commented, adding that most importantly the new structure will be strong enough to withstand a major earthquake with little damage.

The mega-project is funded with some state gasoline tax money, along with bridge toll fees, revenue bonds and a $450 million loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation.