# The 24 Hour Job of Running Alameda's Bridges

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/bay-curious-6896/the-24-hour-job-of-running-alameda-s-bridges
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/bay-curious-6896/the-24-hour-job-of-running-alameda-s-bridges.md
Podcast: [Bay Curious](https://stenobird.com/podcast/bay-curious-6896)
Published: 2026-04-30T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC4560622445.mp3?updated=1777490684
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC4560622445.mp3?updated=1777490684
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/bay-curious-6896/episodes/the-24-hour-job-of-running-alameda-s-bridges
Duration seconds: 1128

## Resource

Sarah Reid noticed a control booth attached to one of Alameda's many drawbridges, and wondered if people are inside, working the bridge. Turns out they are, and it's a round-the-clock job. This week, Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman takes us into the life of a bridge tender, and explores the history of crossing the Oakland Estuary. Additional Resources: Alameda Relies on Bridge Tenders for Safety on Land and Sea Read the transcript for this episode Why Is Part of Alameda Island in San Francisco? Alameda: The Island That Almost Wasn’t Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/bay-curious-6896/episodes/the-24-hour-job-of-running-alameda-s-bridges/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/bay-curious-6896/the-24-hour-job-of-running-alameda-s-bridges.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.