Visiting The Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest spanning bridge in the world after its completion in 1937
. It was surpassed by the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in the state of New York, which was built in 1964.
Today, it is known as the ninth-longest suspension span in the world. It is 1.7 miles long, spanning across the San Francisco Bay, and is suspended 220 feet above the water.
It is also 90 feet wide and weighted 849,500 tons when it was built. Today, it only weighs 887,000 tons thanks to the new decking material that is used to repair the structure.
The towers that support the cables are 746 feet above the water, and each leg is 33 x 54 feet. Each tower weighs 44,000 tons and has 600,000 rivets in it.
The bridge is made from 83,000 tons of steel. The steel came from New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, and was shipped to San Francisco through the Panama Canal.
The two main cables that pass over the tops of the main towers are secured in concrete anchorages at each end of the bridge. Each cable is made of 27,572 strands of wire and if measured would span over 80,000 miles long.
The diameter of each cable is 36 3/8 thick, and are each 7,260 feet long. It took over six months to spin the cables into their compact state.
There are 128 lights installed on the roadway of the suspension, 24 sidewalk lamps and 12 lights to illuminate each tower. Most lights used are sodium lamps.
The Golden Gate Bridge's paint color is orange vermillion, or international orange. Architect Irving Morrow selected the color because it blends with the bridge's setting in the San Francisco Bay.
The bridge was fully painted when it was first built and then touched up for the next 27 years. In 1965, the original paint was removed because of corrosion and was replaced with a inorganic zinc silicate primer and an acrylic emulsion top coat.
This repainting project took 30 years to complete. Today, 38 painters work to touch up the paint continuously, and 17 ironworkers replace any corroding steel and rivets.
The construction of such a large structure was a huge feat in and of itself, but more miraculous what the fact that only eleven workers died during construction. Though that doesn't seem like much of an accomplishment now, it was a new safety record for the time.
In the 1930s, bridge builders expected 1 fatality per $1 million in construction costs, and builders expected 35 people to die while building the Golden Gate Bridge. One of the bridge's safety innovations was a net suspended under the floor.
This net saved the lives of 19 men during construction. They are often referred to as the members of the "Half Way to Hell Club."
The Golden Gate Bridge is the most photographed tourist attraction in the world. Its enormity and the fact that it is infamous for suicide attempts make it a curious attraction for visitors.
There are two vista points, one on each end of the bridge, North and South. On the North Vista you will see the Marin Headlands and the former military complex Fort Baker.
On the South Vista point, you will find the historic Fort Point, Lincoln Avenue, and Baker Beach. There is parking on both ends of the bridge, with restrooms and gift shops.
Both vista points allow for spectacular photographs of the bridge, and access to walk on the east side pedestrian sidewalk of the bridge. The bridge is open 24 hours a day for auto and bicycle traffic.
About 41 million vehicles cross the Golden Gate Bridge each year. The toll southbound, to cross into the city of San Francisco, is $6 southbound, and is free going northbound.
Walking pedestrians are permitted to walk across the bridge during daylight hours only, but skateboards and roller blades are not allowed. The view of and from the bridge is best on a clear, calm day in the summertime.
by: Terry Daniels
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