Willie L . Brown Jr. Bridge

What’s in a name!
I checked in here one day and found out that the bridge has a new name! They have renamed the western span of the Bay Bridge to former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. it used to be the San Francisco-​Oakland Bay Bridge.
This bridge is located on I-​80 in Oakland. In 1989, during the Loma Prieta earthquake, a section of the eastern span’s upper deck collapsed onto the lower deck and the bridge was closed for a month. Back in late October 2013, when I first crossed this bridge, almost 2 months later after the Bay Bridge Eastern span opened (Sep 2, 2013) we finally zipped through it using the Fastrak lane! It’s shiny and when you come around that curve and go under the wires, it’s cathedral-​like. It was pretty breathtaking. Traffic is simply a nightmare sometimes during commute times and rush hour and almost every weekend but having a FastTrak helps. We travel this bridge most of the time in the weekends so toll is $ 5, otherwise, it is $ 6 during the commute hours during weekdays. After paying the toll westbound you drive on the Oakland side of the bridge (the new span), then you drive through a tunnel and then the San Francisco side of the bridge. The bridge is also beautiful at night as there is an exhibit of lights. I’ve only seen it once through my travels. Happy safe travels!

The sign is so small it will easily go unnoticed! Great accomplishment for the former Mayor. Epic fail for the impact on the name change of the Bay Bridge, that locals still refer to as the Bay Bridge!!!

A beautiful bridge to come across when traveling to and from San Francisco!
I have seen the old bridge when westbound traffic was carried on the upper deck and eastbound was on the lower deck. and the new bridge which is just on one deck now and have to say that I truly love the upgrade. The view at night is beautiful and really gives San Francisco the name it deserves.
I rarely come across this bridge but when I do I usually travel when I know its not going to be to busy because commute hours on this bridge is TERRIBLE!
I love the new bridge, Unlike the west span and the original east span, the new east span is a single deck with the eastbound and westbound lanes on each side making this the world’s widest bridge!
Some more information in regards to the amount for bridge toll:
Toll Amount: $ 6 M-​F at 5−10am or 3−7pm,
$ 5 weekends,
$ 4 all other times
Toll Crossing: Westbound on I-​80
Discount Toll Hours: $ 2.50, Monday-​Friday
5 – 10 AM, 3 – 7 PM
Location: Discounted toll lanes on the far left and far right sides of the toll plaza
Carpools/​Vanpools: 3 or more people, 2 persons in 2 seater vehicle OK
Motorcycles & Clean Air Vehicles: OK
Public Transit: AC Transit, Alameda/​Oakland Ferry, BART, Vallejo Baylink Ferry, Harbor Bay Ferry
Would I drive on this bridge again? Yes!
Do I feel its safe? Not as safe as the San Mateo Bridge, but hey I gotta do what I gotta do, right?
Do I feel you should give this bridge a try? Of Course! You cant say you came to San Francisco without riding on this beautiful bridge! :)

Love this bridge simply because it has my grandfather’s name in it and it’s a way of getting to and from Frisco! :)

Discovered this bridge sign by accident when heading out of San Francisco and into Oakland. Essentially, this is the Bay Bridge, yet the first mile or so is named after the former mayor of San Francisco. One noticeable feature of this bridge is that it feels like you are elevating higher and higher for a good 30 seconds. You can’t see the water, yet you can see the horizon. That’s when you feel like wow, I’m way up here in terms of elevation.
This bridge is purely for outbound traffic out of San Francisco, so there isn’t a toll that awaits you. You will see some scenic columns that I don’t know what the significance is for, yet they are nice to observe. Overall, this bridge allows for a smooth ride, particularly after 6 pm when traffic has dissipated.