Watching the Hx Channel documentaries about the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, I hear even those paragons of historical lore, along with other media mentions, refer to the bridge as the Oakland Bay Bridge even though it crosses San Francisco Bay.
Do any natives/residents of the area refer to it by that term-Oakland Bay Bridge?
In another current thread about the San Mateo Bridge, some SF area posters refer to the SFOB as the Bay Bridge. Is that the term favored by locals?
Any chance of renaming it the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge so that the unthinking or lazy folks might get it right?
Is this even an issue in the area? Or just to this nitpicker?
No it’s not an issue. I lived there, and we said either “Oakland Bay Bridge,” or just “Bay Bridge.” We knew the official name, but it’s easier to say “Bay Bridge.”
Generally speaking, no one calls it “San Francisco Bay.” It’s just, “The Bay.” The bridge in question is usually called “The Bay Bridge,” despite the fact that it is one of three (or two of four, as guizot points out) bridges crossing the Bay.
I also suspect that, where “Oakland Bay Bridge” is used, they’re referring not to a bridge that goes across Oakland Bay, but the bridge that goes across the Bay that leads to Oakland.
Just try and figure out the Outerbridge Crossing. What is it “outer” of, anyway? And if it’s an outer bridge crossing, does that mean it crosses a bridge? A bridge which is out?
Nah. It was just named after a guy called Mr. Outerbridge. But to confuse matters, most locals just call it “the outerbridge.”
Just checkin’ in to say that in my 21 years of Northern California residency, I never once heard anyone refer to that bridge as anything other than “the Bay Bridge”.
Also, I saw a guy jump or fall out of a bus and get hit by a car on it a few weeks ago heading out of the city.
I lived in the bay area for a total of 6 months, and it was always just the Bay Bridge. Also, as a Kansas boy, I was constantly confused by all the freaking bridges around there.
Actually, if you’re easily confused, like me, you’ll eventurally be forced to figure out that the Bay Bridge is actually two of SIX bridges crossing the bay:
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge
Golden Gate
Oakland-Yerba Buena
Yerba Buena-San Fransisco
San Mateo-Hayward Bridge
Dumbarton Bridge
(3 and 4 together are the Bay Bridge)
Crazy hippies with their bridges and their loud music and their hats.
Don’t forget the Carquinez Straits Bridge and the Benicia Bridge.
Most people think that they span the Sacramento River, but they actually cross over the waterway between San Pablo Bay and Suisun Bay (bays OF San Francisco Bay).
Realistically, it’s “The Bay Bridge.” No one ever calls it anything else. And if they name it after Emperor Norton (which I hope we do), it’ll still be called “Bay Bridge.”
If you really want to get confused, go to Portland, OR. They have 14 bridges. I was only there once, [del]for 20 minutes[/del] for a night and a day, and I seem to have missed rush hour, but I hear it’s absolutely miserable. I caught rush hour in Seattle though, that was excruciating. They seem to have all the traffic volume of the Bay Area channeled into exactly one freeway, Interstate 5.
We’ve covered the Bay Bridge issue okay, but this post interested me, because I’ve never heard the bridge I know you’re talking about called the San Rafael Bridge - it’s always been the Richmond Bridge. (Or, maybe in official sources, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.) Or is that a North Bay thing?
I seem to remember hearing it called the “Oakland Bay Bridge” somewhere–maybe sometimes on the news or traffic reports, where they feel they might need a little more (unnecessary) clarity, perhaps?
I always refer to it as the Bay Bridge and am grateful it’s not the bridge I have to cross more than once or twice a week, max.
