Giant Cranes Squeak Under Bay Bridges

A ship carrying 253-foot tall cranes passed under the  Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge Tuesday morning.

Caltrans, the ship's captain, and leaders of both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge will tell you the arrival is old hat. That calm demeanor changed instantly as the crane actually began to pass under each bridge. For instance, Mary Curry, who is the PR director the Golden Gate Bridge, snapped just as many pictures from her perch in Marin as the photographers who were there to cover it.

The Golden Gate had at least 10 feet to spare as did the Bay Bridge.

But 10 feet is less than a sliver from the ground's eye view and that was enough to have most of the on lookers holding their breath if just for a moment.

The three new container cranes are on the way to the Port of Oakland from Shanghai, China.  Their arrival time was determined by everythiing from tide to weather to the cycles of the moon.

Crews had to fold the cranes just so they could pass under the bridges.

 

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