It’s designed to be resilient to climate change with open lawns, a section of bay trail, multiple plazas, trees and native plants
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — There was a celebration for San Francisco’s newest park on Tuesday. The Golden State Warriors and city leaders held a grand opening celebration at Bayfront Park located right outside of the Chase Center.
One familiar sight all over this park are the steel support beams from the old Bay Bridge.
They are from the original eastern span of the bridge before it was replaced.
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The very last truss on the Bay Bridge’s old eastern span was removed on Monday. Here’s a look at the construction in less than 20 seconds.
They’ve been repurposed into benches and rails inside the park.
The Bayfront Park is a 5.4 acre open space.
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Caltrans continued with the removal of the original east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Saturday by imploding Pier E5 of the Old Bay Bridge.
It can be found between the Chase Center and the San Francisco bay.
And it’s been years in the making.
The grand opening comes five years after the Chase Center first opened.
A ribbon cutting ceremony held by the Golden State Warriors marked the beginning of a new journey for sports and entertainment at Chase Center in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood. Metallica with the San Francisco Symphony open the arena on Friday.
The city says this is part of the original Mission Bay master plan.
They say it’s designed to be resilient to climate change featuring open lawns, a section of the bay trail, multiple plazas and lots of trees and native plants.
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We talked to a neighbor who says this grand opening couldn’t have come sooner.
“I love watching the sun rise out of the bay and I’ve been waiting for this park, I mean, I’ve talked to the people that have been building it, the landscaping. I’ve been following it all along and I’m so excited that this is finally opening and I can come down here every day and watch the sun rise and walk along the bay,” said Susan McDevitt, a San Francisco resident.
MORE: From The Archive: Opening of new eastern span of Bay Bridge in 2013
The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting the steel from the Bay Bridge being used throughout this design was actually the result of a contest won by the design team.
The total price tag for the park came in at $32.8 million.
This opening comes just in time for the Golden State Warriors opening night on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. against the Los Angeles Clippers.
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