A toll bridge at this location was first built in 1854, consisting of a wooden trestle surfaced with crushed oyster shells.

"[7] In 1899, Mr. Gighilone, a vegetable farmer from Bay Farm Island, was ambushed by customs officers while crossing the bridge.

The customs officers believed he was in league with opium smugglers who supposedly had their headquarters on Bay Farm Island; the smugglers purportedly used vegetable peddlers to smuggle opium across the bridge to Alameda, where it would be taken to San Francisco for distribution.

[1] The total cost of the 1953 bridge, including right-of-way acquisition, approach structures, engineering, design, and construction, was US$2,344,000 (equivalent to $26,690,000 in 2023).

[5] The bascule span is 125 feet (38 m) long and carries a counterweight of 1,100 short tons (1,000 t).

[5] Interlocks are provided so that traffic gates and bollards must be raised before the draw can be opened.