Bay Bridge fender system repaired ahead of schedule

Bay Bridge fender system repaired ahead of schedule Repairs to a system of fenders on the footing towers of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, sideswiped in November by a container vessel, have been completed several weeks ahead of schedule and 25 percent under budget.
   During a heavy morning fog on Nov. 7, a footing of the Bay Bridge was hit by the 900-foot COSCO Busan, tearing a 160-foot-long gash in the side of the vessel and spilling 58,000 gallons of fuel oil. The oil eventually fouled nearly 40 miles of Bay Area coastline and killed thousands of birds. The allision also destroyed a large portion of the tower's year-old wooden protection system, designed to keep a vessel from actually hitting the concrete of the tower and possibly compromising the bridge's integrity.
         The Pleasanton firm that built the fenders as part of a bridge upgrade a year ago completed the repairs shortly before Christmas. California Engineering Contractors also used recycled plastic instead of wood during the estimated $2 million repair of the fender system. The firm finished the project three weeks ahead of schedule and spent $1.5 million to complete the repairs, according to the California Department of Transportation.
   Earlier this week a massive portion of the fender system knocked off by the COSCO Busan washed ashore in Half Moon Bay about 40 miles to the south of the San Francisco Bay entrance. At least two additional sections of the fenders from Nov. 7 are still thought to be in the Bay.