Like a Bridge over Troubled Waters...

The San Francisco Chronicle's Matier & Ross ask, "Will Bay Area get 'freeway on stilts' and higher toll?" From the column,

But Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, isn't ready to throw in the towel yet on a fancier bridge.

"This is one of the most beautiful areas in the world and our public structures should reflect that," Hancock said. Besides, she said, "the Bay Area was already paying an extra dollar for a 'signature bridge' -- so it's still a question of us buying a Cadillac, then turning around and being given a Chevy.

"Plus, I'm not sure this redesign isn't going to cost us a lot more time in redesign and re-permitting -- and we have 300,000 cars going over that bridge every day," Hancock said.