The popularity of the original Bay Bridge troll suggests the public may like to see a troll on the new bridge as well. Meanwhile, ironworkers may be looking forward to crafting a new troll in celebration of the new East Span. In any case, there already are indicators of troll or troll-like activity on the newlyconstructed span. A string of four-toed claw-prints have been discovered on the westbound road-deck. And, fittingly, it appears that these tracks can be seen only at night.
The Project Management Team recommends that this new Bay Bridge troll, like its predecessor, should be made of steel. The new troll should be housed in a location properly covered and shaded from the sun, to be seen only by those who seek him out. In accordance with Bay Bridge tradition, the fabrication should be performed as a rogue act, either by union ironworkers from the Bay Bridge project, or by a West Oakland group such as The Crucible. The TBPOC simply should make known that the Committee and its constituent agencies will respond permissively to an unofficial project of this sort, pursuing a policy that might best be described as benign noninterference.
The inauguration of a new troll could create another opportunity to celebrate the long-anticipated ompletion of the new Bay Bridge East Span. It bears noting that the installation of the original troll was itself considered a sort of topping out ceremony — another Nordic tradition that, like the troll, has spread across the globe. Trolls are not usually present at topping-out ceremonies, of course.19 But what better way to commemorate a structure as strong, long-lasting and protection-giving as the new Bay Bridge East Span — and provide fun for current and future generations — than by “topping out” with the installation of a new troll in a shaded spot beneath the span?
19 John V. Robinson, "The ‘Topping Out’ Traditions of the High-Steel Ironworkers," Western Folklore 60.4 (2001): 243-62, ProQuest; 17 Aug. 2013
*Project Management Team
Toll Bridge Seismic Retrofit Program
Tony Anziano, Toll Bridge Program Manager, Caltrans
Andrew B. Fremier, Deputy Executive Director, Bay Area Toll
Authority
Stephen Maller, Deputy Director, California Transportation
Commission
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