The viaduct was extensively damaged during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake . As part of its earthquake relief efforts , the federal government allocated some $ 700 million to reconstruct the viaduct , with its route shifted somewhat to the west into another pre-existing neighborhood . A variety of community groups led by the Church of the Living God Faith Tabernacle and the Clean Air Alternative Coalition filed suit against the federal government in 1993 in an effort to require the reconstruction of the viaduct to reposition it in a way that would minimize its effect on the surrounding community , arguing that its suggested placement would have a disproportionate effect on predominately minority communities , including placing a heavy load of lead and other pollutants on them . The lawsuit was not successful , but an out of court settlement did somewhat alter the placement of the reconstructed freeway
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
Lead contamination in Oakland