The Men and Women Doing the Work

The new East Span is the product of design teams, joint venture companies, planning committees, boards, agencies and unions, but it is foremost the product of individuals who bring their training and talents to bear on the job every day.

People like piledriver Bill Hobson, who helped drive the test piles in 2001 long before the East Span construction started. Or Dr. Marwan Nader, who helped lead the team charged with designing the Suspension and Skyway sections. Or laborer Rafael Alejandre, who performed dozens of vital tasks on the Geofill site. Or Caltrans Archeologist Janet Pape, who oversaw excavation of artifacts on Yerba Buena Island. Or Scott Hanson, substructure project manager for KFM, who oversees what most people will never see - the submerged foundations of the Skyway section.

Or equipment operators Ron McDougal and Sam McClelland. McDougal of Gordon N. Ball Inc. and McClelland of Nilex Corp. often began work in the cold, dark hours of the morning to take advantage of low tides at the Geofill site. While the most of the Bay Area was having its morning coffee and Cheerios, McDougal, McClelland and their coworkers were moving dirt and driving pipe to make a landing area for the bridge.

To these people, and all the others behind the scenes, the building of the new East Span is far more than just another job. Walk on the job sites, and they'll tell you they're proud to be building a landmark that will bear for decades the signature of their efforts.