"[4] Nevertheless, its brutalist architectural elements and banked sides have made it an attractive space for street skateboarders, from whom it has seen continuous use since the late 1970s, and has been a mainstay in skate media.

In 2014, the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department conducted a feasibility study for redesigning and upgrading Portsmouth Square.

[18][4] As such, many Chinatown residents support the removal of the bridge, but some people oppose it, including skateboarders and appreciators of Brutalist architecture.

[18][4][20] Sam Kwong, a local architect, also opposes the demolition as he says removing it will create bad feng shui.

At 240 feet (73 m) long and made from concrete and brick and represents a stylistic extension of the Hilton Hotel that it spans to, both of which fit into Brutalist architecture.

For example, a metal gate was built on the west end of bridge in 2003 at a cost of $5,000 to allow the Hilton to restrict public access when desired.

[31][25] In July 2014, a permit was requested and granted by the city to erect four flagpoles on the east side of the bridge outside the Chinese Culture Center.

[31] In response to skateboarders using the bridge, hostile architectural elements were installed, such as skatestoppers on the benches, and an additional railing on the ramp part of the staircase.

[43][7] Many popular skate stunts have been performed there, including Joe Valdez doing an ollie on the ledge of the bridge over the street below, a 35-foot drop, in 2014.

[45] The cover of the December 2021 edition of Thrasher Magazine was a photo of skateboarder Tristan Funkhouser ollieing over the largest bench on the bridge.

[46] In response to skateboarders using the bridge, security and police presence was stepped up in the 90s and hostile architectural elements were installed.

[7] The location has inspired a new skate feature, called "China banks," which is a sloped quarter pipe-like bank with ledges in front and is featured at a number of skateparks and skate competitions around the world,[47] including skateparks in Eveleigh, New South Wales, Australia,[48] Tampa, Florida,[49] Los Angeles,[50] Scantlebury Skate Park in New Haven, Connecticut,[51] Bangkok, Thailand,[52] Solana Beach, California,[53] Marrakesh, Morocco,[54] and others.

[55][56][57] A popular skate spot in New York's Chinatown also has a similar feature and is called China Banks in reference to this one.

[58][59] Duncan McDuie-Ra, a professor of Urban Sociology at The University of Newcastle, has published books on famous skate spots and has documented China Banks.

It also sees occasional public community use as an extension of Portsmouth Square, Chinatown's "living room.

[5][69] Along the stairs on the east side of the bridge, a mosaic titled "Sunrise" by artist Mik Gaspay and was created and officially debuted in 2016.