Recycle the Bay Bridge as a renewable energy generator?

Room for a turbine or two? The Bay Bridge, currently being replaced

A nice idea from the San Francisco Chronicle today – use the old Bay Bridge as a host for renewable energy generation systems after its current replacement.

The San Francisco to Oakland bridge, as built in 1936, is now being replaced by a new link due for completion in 2013.

But, instead of just knocking down the old one, which features towers in the middle stretching 519 feet high, why not use it as a platform for wind turbines and solar panels, says SF Chronicle columnist John King.

“Imagine, for instance, that experimental wind turbines dotted the structure, corkscrews whirling in the stiff afternoon wind. Or a thin-sliced row of photovoltaic solar panels stretched across the top of the span, harvesting the sun on all but the foggiest days.”

BrighterEnergy would add, why not use the structure as a basis for tidal stream turbines as well, considering the currents in the area. Sadly, it seems the $6.3 billion project has $210 million allocated purely to demolish the old bridge, which is destined for scrap metal yards.