Crews constructing the tower on the Bay Bridge’s new eastern span have added a holiday glow to their work.
Ironworkers with American Bridge/Fluor Enterprises have hung red and green lights from a number of the tower’s truss sections, Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney said this morning.
Since the sections are triangular, the decoration bears a resemblance to a Christmas tree, he said.
“They were very clever with their design,” he said. “Basically what they did was they outlined the triangles in the truss.”
The lights are visible from the current span and from Treasure Island, Ney said.
“I actually took my kids out to see it,” he said. “It was a lot bigger than our Christmas tree.”
Motorists driving on the bridge have been warned not to be distracted by work on the tower, which is now 374 feet tall and will eventually reach a height of 525 feet.
When it is completed, which is expected to happen around March, those looking carefully may be puzzled to see a real tree atop the tower.
Ney said construction tradition calls for a “topping out” ceremony in which a tree is placed at a structure’s high point at its completion.
In the meantime, Ney said, it doesn’t appear that the construction or the lights have caused problems by distracting drivers.
“We haven’t had any issues at all,” he said. “It’s really good to see people driving safely out there.”
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