Evan Wagstaff/The Bay Citizen

It's the other Bay Bridge construction project, and until recently, the 270,000 drivers who pass through the toll plaza probably didn't notice it.

But now drivers cannot miss two structures, covered in scaffolding and wood, in the parking lot between the toll plaza and the eastbound lanes of the bridge.

The new structures will replace buildings that currently house the toll administration offices and Caltrans' towing services, which date back to the 1930's and are not seismically safe.

Construction of the new buildings began more than a year ago, but Bay Area Toll Authority spokesperson John Goodwin said most of the work has been heard rather than seen, as crews drove hundreds of steel piles into the ground.

Courtesy MTC Bay Area Toll Authority

“The biggest challenge was getting the foundation worked out,” Goodwin said. “Once that's done, the vertical part can move along pretty quickly.” The foundations had to be strengthened, because the buildings sit atop soil that can liquefy in an earthquake.

Crews are working to complete the two structures-- a 22,600-square foot toll administration building and a 10,600-square foot tow services building -- by the end of next year, before the eastern span is completed in 2013.

“We very much want to have this thing complete by the time the new bridge opens,” Goodwin said. “That's not going to be a problem.”

The buildings have been designed to echo the aesthetics of the bridge's new eastern span, according to Goodwin.

Drivers will see the project develop over the next several months. Goodwin said construction won't affect bridge traffic, but could make the wait at the tolls a more pleasant experience.

“The most important thing drivers can expect is a major aesthetic upgrade,” Goodwin said.

Evan Wagstaff/The Bay Citizen