Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California is one of the most beautiful, and most photographed, bridges in the world. The name comes from its location, it spans the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean.
Linking San Francisco with Marin County the Golden Gate Bridge is a 1.7 mile-long suspension bridge that can be crossed by car, on bicycles or on foot. The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed in 1937, and has become one of the most famous sights of San Francisco and California. Since its completion, the span length has been surpassed by eight other bridges. It still has the second longest suspension bridge main span in the United States, after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City.
Photo by Luis Gabriel Rivas
Before the bridge was built, the only practical short route between San Francisco and what is now Marin County was by boat across a section of San Francisco Bay. San Francisco was the largest American city still served primarily by ferry boats. Many experts said that a bridge couldn’t be built across the 6,700 ft (2,042 m) strait. It had strong, swirling tides and currents, with water 500 ft (150 m) in depth at the center of the channel, and frequent strong winds. Experts said that ferocious winds and blinding fogs would prevent construction and operation.
Photo by Dawn Endico
Joseph Strauss was chief engineer in charge of overall design and construction of the bridge project. However, because he had little understanding or experience with cable-suspension designs, responsibility for much of the engineering and architecture fell on other experts. Senior engineer Charles Alton Ellis, collaborating remotely with famed bridge designer Leon Moisseiff, was the principal engineer of the project. Moisseiff produced the basic structural design, introducing his “deflection theory” by which a thin, flexible roadway would flex in the wind, greatly reducing stress by transmitting forces via suspension cables to the bridge towers. Despite this Straus still claimed most of the credit for the design.
This famous sight took just over four years to construct and cost over $35 million.
Despite its red appearance, the color of the bridge is officially an orange vermilion called international orange. The color was selected because it blends well with the natural surroundings yet enhances the bridge’s visibility in fog.
On a darker note, the Golden Gate Bridge is the most popular place to commit suicide in the United States and is one of the most popular in the world. The deck is approximately 245 feet (75 m) above the water. As a result, a plastic-covered stainless-steel net is to be installed below the bridge as a suicide deterrent.
Golden Gate Bridge Visitor Information
There is a toll for all south bound traffic on the bridge, pedestrians and cyclists are toll free.
Parking and viewing areas available at either end of the bridge.