OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Bay Area Toll Authority has agreed to spend $5.6 million to host a public celebration of the Labor Day opening of the Bay Bridge's new eastern span.
The contract approved Wednesday will pay for transportation, sanitation, security and other costs for the party, when about 125,000 people are expected to walk from Oakland to San Francisco over the Bay Bridge.
The contract with Hartmann Studios of Richmond must be approved by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission later this month.
A private group called the Bay Bridge Alliance is working to raise private funds that could reduce the amount the agency will have to pay for the celebration.
The new eastern span will connect Oakland to Treasure Island and replace a bridge that was damaged during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
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