Ken Shattock (KRK) Wrote:
> Not correct, Sir.. After the trains quit running
> on April 20, 1958, those tracks on the bridge
> lower deck stayed in place for almost THREE
> additional years. BART had even looked into the
> possibility of using them. Too bad, too, because
> some $ 300 million plus dollars could have been
> saved by NOT building an underwater tube.

The removal of the Bridge Railway went on well into 1961-1962.

A major problem was lowering the floor of the tunnel through Yerba Buena Island to increase vertical clearance for trucks and buses on the upper deck. That project (the "hump") caused some traffic jams when they had trouble.

I don't think Ken's idea of a $300 million savings by putting BART on the bridge would have worked in the long term. A few points to consider:

1. During rush hours, there was only ONE lane for trucks and buses in the reverse-commute direction. An accident in that lane would shut down truck and bus traffic in that direction (including commuter buses going back for a second run). With the increases in truck and bus traffic over the years, there would have been pressure for another vehicle bridge across the bay.

2. BART runs a lot faster than the 35 mph speed restriction for trains on the bridge.

3. Redesigning the Bridge Railway to allow BART trains to enter the subway under Market Street would have been a costly project.

By abandoning the Bridge Railway and building an underwater tube we got a much faster train system and a much better bridge for vehicles. It may offend nostalgia but I think it is a better result. Other railfans may have different views.