Big progress on the San Francisco Bay Bridge

If you're a construction junkie (and what software engineer isn't?), it's been an exciting fall for the San Francisco Bay Bridge replacement project. This week, the crews

began hoisting the third of four sets of giant steel pieces that will make up the legs of the 525-foot-tall tower

Read more about the current events here.

But of course, if you're a construction junkie, just reading about the bridge isn't cool enough, so go:

• Check out the live construction camera


• or visit the gorgeous BayBridge360 site, with its collection of videos amassed over the years

Metaphors are of course crucial:

"The tower is like a stool with four legs," Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney said. "We hope to have the four legs in place by Christmas. Then we can put the seat on top."

It's like a giant present, for the entire San Francisco Bay Area!