Some things haven't changed on the Bay Bridge in nearly 20 years. But unlike the toll -- which isn't going anywhere but up for Bay Area motorists, we're afraid -- the span's metal troll could be coming down.
Welded beneath the upper deck of the eastern span -- which CalTrans is replacing with a new bridge, in case you hadn't heard -- is a 14-inch high sculpture of a troll, according to the Bay Citizen.The troll's been there since the eastern span was repaired following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the 6.9-magnitude temblor that caused part of the bridge to collapse.
The troll is made of iron and was created by an ironworker who is also a sculptor at the request of the iron workers putting the bridge back together. It's underneath the northern side of the eastern span, if that makes sense, out of the view of motorists. The iron workers put it there 22 years ago without permission from CalTrans officials in Sacramento. Why? They knew the bureaucrats would balk at the idea.
Now, the troll's fate is unknown, according to CalTrans spokesman Bart Ney. However, a Facebook page dedicated to the troll's preservation has been created, and every time Ney appears on a radio show, someone calls in to ask about the troll, he says.
A committee has been formed and will rule on the troll's final resting place -- either on the new bridge or at a museum -- by the end of the year.
