GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

Description

Essentials about the Golden Gate Bridge in brief

It is the iconic landmark of San Francisco and also one of the symbols of all of California and the United States: The Golden Gate Bridge. Whether the Golden Gate Bridge, visible from many points of San Francisco, is also the most beautiful bridge in the world, everyone must judge for themselves. In any case, it is certain that it is the most photographed bridge in the world. The bridge was named after the natural entrance to San Francisco Bay, which was given the name Golden Gate around 1846 during the gold rush in California. It was named after Captain John C. Frémont, whom the strait reminded of the Golden Horn in Istanbul.

The history of the Golden Gate Bridge

Plans to span the San Francisco Bay approach with a bridge, connecting the city to the south with Marin County to the north, existed as early as the 1870s. But engineering challenges – open ocean, deep water, strong tidal currents, fog, storms and earthquake hazards – led to concerns about whether bridge construction was even possible and affordable. In 1921, bridge engineer Joseph B. Strauss submitted plans to the San Francisco City Council for a combined cantilever and suspension bridge with a span of more than 1,200 feet, but it met with opposition because of its appearance.

When ferries across the bay finally reached their capacity limits, the bridge project was vigorously pursued. Technical advances in steel fabrication and the example of the George Washington Bridge in New York City, completed in 1931, made it clear that a suspension bridge with such a span was feasible. Strauss therefore changed his plans in the late 1920s to a pure suspension bridge. With a span of 1,280 meters, it was to become the longest suspension bridge in the world at that time.

The construction and the architecture of the Golden Gate Bridge

In 1933, construction work began on the Golden Gate Bridge. The construction was an enormous technical challenge and the bridge broke many records that were considered unsurpassable for a long time: The tallest piers at 227 meters, the longest (2,332 meters) and thickest (92 centimeters) cable strands, and the largest underwater foundations. These foundations also had to be lowered in a strait characterized by strong currents. The northern pylon was built directly on the rocky shore, so the concrete foundations could be completed in a few months without any problems. The ten-story foundations of the southern pylon, on the other hand, were built some 340 meters from Fort Point in deep water.

On April 19, 1937, work on the Golden Gate Bridge was completed – (hardly imaginable today) slightly ahead of schedule and just under budget. On May 28, 1937, the bridge was opened by a telegraphic signal from President Franklin D. Roosevelt from the White House. The bridge had been opened to pedestrians the day before and 200,000 people took the opportunity to walk across.

An interesting anecdote on the occasion of the opening is that the last of the approximately 600,000 rivets holding the two towers together was made of pure gold and was hammered in at the conclusion of construction amid much press hype. However, since gold is a very soft precious metal, the rivet did not withstand the rigors of intense heating and hammering, came loose and fell into the water. It was never recovered and quickly replaced by a normal rivet.

Fortunately, very few fatal accidents occurred during the construction of the Golden Gate. A significant part of this was due to Joseph B. Strauss’ strict first-ever instruction that hard hats had to be worn and that a safety net had to be installed to catch falling construction workers before a new girder section was installed. This net saved the lives of nineteen workers during the construction phase. On February 17, 1937, the only construction tragedy occurred. A piece of scaffolding occupied by twelve people crashed into the safety net, which could not withstand the force of the impact, and ten workers fell to their deaths.

And there is one last technical detail that makes the bridge so unique in the world. According to Chief Engineer Strauss’ design, the bridge was to be painted ordinary gray. For safety reasons, the U.S. Navy pleaded for a black paint job with yellow stripes. Fortunately, International Orange came into play as a rust preventative paint. The San Francisco residents liked the organ of the protective coating and it also harmonized well with the landscape of the surrounding hills and mountains, so Strauss finally decided to leave the bridge’s color as it was.

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge is a unique experience. There are three options: By car, by bicycle or on foot. Drivers have to dig into their wallets: While the northbound trip out of town is free for all vehicles, the return trip into town is subject to tolls.

Cyclists and pedestrians, on the other hand, do not have to pay a toll and can cross the bridge on the bicycle or the pedestrian path on the San Francisco Bay side. Crossing by bike is especially popular, because you can continue biking in Marin County on the north side to idyllic towns like Sausalito and Tiburon. By the way, if you don’t feel like crossing the bridge twice, you can take the ferry for the return trip to San Francisco. And those interested in the historical and technical details of the bridge can find out more at the Golden Gate Bridge California Welcome Center, located on the south side.

The view of the Golden Gate Bridge

Finally, a word on the subject of photos: Hardly any other bridge in the world is as photogenic as the Golden Gate Bridge. This is also due to the fact that you have a great view of the bridge from very many places. From the north side, you can enjoy some of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands. If you want a more unusual perspective, you should drive/walk to historic Fort Point. From the base of the bridge, you have an interesting view of the orange beauty from below.