The Bay Bridge may play second fiddle to its splashier orange neighbor, but plenty of myths still cling to its 4.5‑mile span. Here are seven things even Bay Area regulars get wrong about the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.
Myth 1: “It’s younger than the Golden Gate Bridge.”
The Bay Bridge opened on November 12, 1936—six months before the Golden Gate welcomed cars.
Myth 2: “You pay a toll both ways.”
Since 1969 tolls have been westbound‑only; eastbound drivers cruise for free toward Oakland.
Myth 3: “There’s still no way to bike across.”
A paved path stretches from Oakland to Yerba Buena Island on the new eastern span—cyclists just can’t complete the final mile into San Francisco (yet).
Myth 4: “The Whole Bridge Was Replaced in the 2000s”
The 2013 east‑span replacement is a single‑tower self‑anchored suspension bridge made of 77,000 tons of steel, but the iconic western span remains its original 1930s double‑deck suspension—and the two meet on Yerba Buena Island.
Myth 5: “Upper deck goes east, lower deck west.”
It’s the opposite: since a 1963 re‑striping, westbound traffic rides the upper deck while eastbound hugs the lower.
Myth 6: “Those twinkling ‘Bay Lights’ are permanent.”
Artist Leo Villareal’s 25,000‑LED sculpture launched in 2013, went dark in 2015, returned in 2016, shut off again in 2023—and is slated for a sturdier 50,000‑bulb comeback in 2025 after an $11 million fundraiser.
Myth 7: “It only blew the budget a little.”
Upgrading the quake‑damaged eastern span was first pegged at $250 million; the final tab topped $6.5 billion—a twenty‑five‑fold overrun that still ranks among California’s costliest public‑works surprises.
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