Hi, Ed-

I can see the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge nearing completion from my home, and I can tell you for certain that the whole job was not contracted out to China. Those are Americans who designed and are building the bridge. The steel fabrication was contracted out to China, and the decision to do this was hugely controversial. It came down to whether the bridge could be built at all, even with using the cheaper Chinese steel. Former Governor Schwartzeneggar tried to kill the entire project just as the piers to support the span were starting to be driven into the bottom of the bay. The original bridge opened in 1936, and the eastern span is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_–_Oakland_Bay_Bridge .

Just injecting some light into the situation. Given the choice of either having the new span (and the jobs it creates and the seismic safety it brings for this critical artery) or not (due to the costs of the materials), I'll take the new span. I wish it were American steel going into it for numerous reasons, including the delays when the first sections from China were shipped back to China to fix shoddy welds. Such is life for big (estimated $6.3B USD) projects.