Transportation/Infrastructure
Origins of the Bay Area
The origins of The Bay Area transportation began with 1,000 inhabitants in 1848 and quickly rose to 36,000 by 1852.
Horse-drawn carts had been the prime mode of efficient transportation other than water ferries but poor streets and lack of alternative transportation modes within the city and to other settlements forced stakeholders to consider shorter distances as well as improved road conditions.
Though it would many years before San Francisco had adequate streets and public transportation, the early pioneers such as Whistman, Hall and Crandall, and George Wilson provided a base upon which ensuing transportation facilities could be built.
Horse-drawn carts had been the prime mode of efficient transportation other than water ferries but poor streets and lack of alternative transportation modes within the city and to other settlements forced stakeholders to consider shorter distances as well as improved road conditions.
Though it would many years before San Francisco had adequate streets and public transportation, the early pioneers such as Whistman, Hall and Crandall, and George Wilson provided a base upon which ensuing transportation facilities could be built.
The Railroads
The railroads proved to be a heated discuss among San Franciscan's who wanted to keep the power and authority of where railroads should be built. The Big Four were more concerned about grabbing as much acreage as possible in order to expand their transcontinental railroad.
The first foundation of tracks of the state Belt was built by the Board of State Harbor Commissioners in 1889.
Operations slowed down when shipping moved across the Bay to Oakland. The port of San Francisco was no longer the main hub for the Bay Area.
The first foundation of tracks of the state Belt was built by the Board of State Harbor Commissioners in 1889.
Operations slowed down when shipping moved across the Bay to Oakland. The port of San Francisco was no longer the main hub for the Bay Area.
Ferries on the Bay
In 1850, the first ferry service was established between San Francisco and Oakland. It rapidly became the main choice for transportation for travelers between San Francisco and Sacramento. It was utilized by businesses early on in order to move hay to feed horses that pulled wagons and omnibuses. It also brought lumber in to build the wooden City.
New railroad barons had acquired the local ferry services and extended the wharves well into the Bay, know as Oakland Mole. The Oakland Mole is where the trains and ferries met in order to transport goods from the ferry to the train in order to transport products inland. It reached its peak in 1930’s before the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge opened.
New railroad barons had acquired the local ferry services and extended the wharves well into the Bay, know as Oakland Mole. The Oakland Mole is where the trains and ferries met in order to transport goods from the ferry to the train in order to transport products inland. It reached its peak in 1930’s before the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge opened.
Cable Cars
Andrew Hallidie built San Francisco’s cable cars chiefly inspired by an overworked horse whose iron shoe slipped downhill. He eventually acquired funding and built a cable car line on Clay between Leavenworth and Kearny.
It used high-tension cables to pull itself back uphill. The cable cars were more than just another mode of transportation but soon became an iconic sentiment for San Franciscan.
The city government wanted to remove them, however the residents quickly dismissed any action of relieving them of their beloved cable cars. Eventually the large amounts of cable cars diminished and today the few that survived serve as tourist attractions.
It used high-tension cables to pull itself back uphill. The cable cars were more than just another mode of transportation but soon became an iconic sentiment for San Franciscan.
The city government wanted to remove them, however the residents quickly dismissed any action of relieving them of their beloved cable cars. Eventually the large amounts of cable cars diminished and today the few that survived serve as tourist attractions.
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
In 1936, the East and West communities of the Bay Area were intrinsically linked more than ever. Ferries were becoming less of an ideal way to travel due to the rise in ownership of automobiles. Residents wanted a quick way to travel between San Francisco and Oakland whether it was for work or recreational activities.
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was built in 1936 and instantaneously became the ideal way to travel between San Francisco and Oakland. The Bridge did suffer minor damage during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake when a piece of it collapsed, but it is currently being seismically retrofitted.
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was built in 1936 and instantaneously became the ideal way to travel between San Francisco and Oakland. The Bridge did suffer minor damage during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake when a piece of it collapsed, but it is currently being seismically retrofitted.
The Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge has been declared one of the modern Wonders of the World by the American Society of Engineers. It links the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula to Marin County. Population numbers were escalating, and traffic congestion at the ferry docks was becoming undesirable. The bridge was planned to be built over the Golden Gate Strait. There was no funding from state or federal governments due A man named Joseph Strauss organized the political, financial, and promotional efforts which led to the eventual construction of the bridge.With several lives lost and several millions of dollars over budget, the bridge was completed and became an a universal monument of the engineering and planning era.