The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, linking San Francisco with Marin County. Completed in 1937, it held the record for the world’s longest suspension bridge span at 4,200 feet. Its distinctive orange vermilion color, officially known as international orange, was chosen for visibility in fog and harmony with the surroundings. Rising 746 feet, its towers surpass the height of the Washington Monument. The bridge has five lanes and towers that taper from base to top, emphasizing their 500-foot height above the roadway. Coit Tower, another San Francisco landmark, shares the city skyline with the Golden Gate Bridge, which sees 118,000 vehicles daily, alongside pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
They reduced the speed limit on the Golden Gate Bridge from 55 mph (89 km/h) to 45 mph (72 km/h) on 1 October 1983 The eastern walkway is for pedestrians and bicycles during the weekdays and during daylight hours only, and the western walkway is open to bicyclists on weekday afternoons, weekends, and holidays. It united three Boroughs of New York: Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens. That remains the largest vertical-lift bridge in the world. It joins three giant bridges into one and consists of 13,500 feet of elevated viaduct and fourteen miles of roadway, all traveling over Randall’s and Ward’s Islands. Eight other bridges have surpassed its span length since its completion. It still has the second longest suspension bridge main span in the United States, after the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in New York City.
Golden Gate Bridge History
Before the Golden Gate Bridge, ferry travel was the only practical short route between San Francisco and Marin County. Ferry service began in the 1820s, with regular schedules starting in the 1840s to transport water to San Francisco. The Sausalito Land and Ferry Company, launched in 1867, became the Golden Gate Ferry Company, a subsidiary of Southern Pacific Railroad and the world’s largest ferry operation by the late 1920s. Initially for railroad passengers, Southern Pacific’s automobile ferries became profitable and crucial to the regional economy. The ferry crossing from Hyde Street Pier to Sausalito took about 20 minutes and cost $1.00 per vehicle, later reduced to compete with the new bridge. The trip from the San Francisco Ferry Building took 27 minutes.
Many wanted to build a bridge to connect San Francisco to Marin County. Ferry boats primarily served San Francisco, making it the largest American city with this mode of transport. The city’s growth rate lagged behind the national average due to the lack of a permanent link with surrounding communities. Many experts said they couldn’t build a bridge across the 6,700 ft (2,042 m) strait. The Golden Gate featured deep waters, swirling tides, currents, and frequent strong winds. Experts said that ferocious winds and blinding fogs would prevent construction and operation.
Golden Gate Bridge Design
The Golden Gate Bridge design echoes an Art Deco Theme. Wide, vertical ribbing on the horizontal tower bracing accents the sun’s light on the bridge. The towers of the Golden Gate Bridge taper as they rise, emphasizing their 500-foot height above the roadway. Irving Morrow, the architect hired by Strauss, chose the ‘international orange’ paint color for the bridge. The color was selected to blend with the setting while still being very visible to ships.
Coit Tower is another San Francisco landmark with an Art Deco design. Timothy Pflueger was probably the most prolific and renowned Art Deco Architect in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Golden Gate Bridge Facts
Golden Gate refers to Golden Gate Strait—a name that originated around 1846. The Golden Gate Bridge’s 4,200-foot-long main suspension span was a world record that stood for 27 years. It is still the second-longest bridge in the United States. The longest is the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which links Staten Island to Brooklyn in New York. The bridge’s two towers rise 746 feet making them 191 feet taller than the Washington Monument.
The five-lane Golden Gate Bridge spans the 400-foot (130-meter) deep Golden Gate Strait. Yellow markers switch the center lane to provide three lanes into San Francisco in the morning. In the afternoon and evening, the markers switch to provide three lanes out of the city. Tolls are collected only on southbound trips. The toll increased to $5.00/$4.00 FasTrak on September 1, 2002, and later to $6.00/$5.00. Multi-axle vehicle rates rose on July 1, 2012. There are no carpool lanes on the bridge. In 1902, the Thomas Edison Company filmed a movie from a train traveling from the Cliff House and Sutro Baths to the Golden Gate. Predating the bridge’s construction, it doesn’t appear in the film. Predating the bridge’s construction, it doesn’t appear in the film.
Construction
Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge began on January 5, 1933, and cost over $35 million. The McClintic-Marshall Construction Co., a subsidiary of Bethlehem Steel Corporation founded by Howard H. McClintic and Charles D. Marshall, managed the construction. Despite these safety measures, eleven men died from falls; ten perished when a scaffold fell, and the net failed. Despite these safety measures, eleven men died from falls; ten perished when a scaffold fell, and the net failed. Nineteen others, saved by the net, formed the informal “Half Way to Hell Club.” They completed the project in April 1937, $1.3 million under budget. The last surviving worker, Jack Balestreri, passed away in April 2012.