On November 12, 1936, the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opened to traffic, linking San Francisco with Oakland and the East Bay. The multi-span structure included a suspension section, a cantilever section, and an island tunnel, making it one of the most ambitious engineering projects of its time. Built during the Great Depression, it provided thousands of jobs and symbolized large-scale public investment in infrastructure. The bridge cut travel time across the bay and reshaped commuting and freight patterns in the region. It also worked in tandem with the soon-to-open Golden Gate Bridge to cement the Bay Area’s role as a major transportation hub. Over the decades, seismic retrofits and a new eastern span have kept the bridge central to everyday life in Northern California.
