Modern Marvels

S12E12 The Great Bridge: 8 Miles of Steel

The Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco holds more records than any other bridge globally. During the Great Depression, bridge engineers pushed the limits of logic and finance to create an astonishing 8-mile span linking Oakland and San Francisco. Engineer Charles Purcell constructed two parallel suspension bridges on the San Francisco side, followed by the largest bore tunnel in the world to connect the western side with Oakland’s eastern shores. Modern Marvels explores the remarkable engineering behind this incredible achievement.