Dear Members of the Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee,

We, representatives of a large and dynamic community of industrial artist and makers in the Bay Area, are writing to ask you to take action in retaining steel from the old Bay Bridge so that it can be creatively reused, the history and spirit of the bridge retained, and new public amenities directly connected to this iconic Bay Area structure created.

The Bay Area is home to a burgeoning Industrial Arts movement and a vibrant creative economy connected to making; much of this activity is located in close proximity to the old Bay Bridge and the new Gateway Park. We ask you to explore the opportunities for public structures and artworks that could be created from components of the old bridge, a rich use that carries forward the history of bridge while engaging the talent and energy of the area’s industrial artists and fabricators.

While we recognize that there are challenges, such as funding, remediation, storage and materials management, connected with such a program, we are confident that enough public interest exists to warrant finding solutions.

We urge you to support the preservation of this extraordinary resource for the benefit of the Bay Area for generations to come.