Photos Capture 15 Years Of Work On San Francisco-Oakland Bridge

California's new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened last night, after 11 years of construction and a $6.4 billion price tag.

With a welding torch in hand, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom cut the chain as the San Francisco and Oakland mayors looked on.

The 2.2-mile span cost five times more than projected and replaced a bridge that was damaged in the 1989 earthquake.

Photographer Joe Blum has been there since the beginning. The retired boilermaker and welder has been documenting the project for 15 years.

His images are stunning, showing workers suspended from frightening towers, maneuvering catwalks, hanging cables.

But as he tells Here & Now, winning the approval of the workers wasn't always an easy sell.