California turns to Chinese company, labor to build most of new Bay Bridge span

Much of the actual construction of San Francisco’s new Bay Bridge was actually done in China. The bridge was then shipped to San Francisco for assembly.

California officials have estimated that they’ll save at least $400 million by relying on low-wage Chinese labor. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visited the Chinese plant praising “The workers that are building our Bay Bridge.”

Roger Ferch, president of the American Institute of Steel Construction in Chicago, argues that any economic analysis also has to factor in not just what’s been saved, but what’s been lost.

“What is the total cost of that project in lost wages, lost taxes, lost economy in California?”

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