Eight years later and the Bay Bridge is finally up. As the much-neglected stepsibling of the more famous Golden Gate, it's lain dormant for years until it reopened earlier this month, ahead of schedule. It took $6.4 billion and 15 years, but, as Bloomberg pointed out in a brief design and bureaucracy history, "the country's most daringly iconic highway bridge stands as a poster child for those who think major infrastructure projects are wasteful." It goes on to explore a challenge every designer on a team knows well: demanding clients and struggles with funds.

But what does that mean, really? Archinect recently shared a time-lapse video of the Bay Bridge coming to life: 42,000 hours of work in just four minutes. It's an impressive look at the complexities of bridge building, especially a bridge that must be both aesthetically pleasing and structurally sound. (The last Bay Bridge was damaged in the 1986 earthquake.)

The Bay Bridge, with lots and lots of traffic.

But we were lucky, with a dedicated bus lane from a portion of the ride; countless cars languished behind us, waiting to pay the hefty toll that makes bridge upkeep possible. I couldn't help but think they might have a different opinion on the matter.