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- Before the Bridge Existed. Prior to the existence of the bridge, the only way to go back and forth between San Francisco and Marin County was by way of ferry boats.
- Rationale for the Bridge. A bridge to create a route between San Francisco and Marin County was deemed vital. At that time, San Francisco was the biggest American city still primarily served by ferry boats; this contributed to a deficiency in the growth rate of the city.
- Design and Construction. Engineer Joseph Strauss was responsible for the design of this bridge and he was in charge of the overall design and building of the structure.
- Initial Construction Proposal. In 1872, three years after the completion of the transcontinental railroad, a bid was made by Charles Crocker for the construction of a bridge that would extend over the Golden Gate Strait.
Coordinates: 37°49′11″N 122°28′43″W. The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
- 4200 ft, about 0.79 mi (1.27 km)
- 8980 ft, about 1.70 mi (2.74 km)
- May 27, 1937; 86 years ago
- Golden Gate
- Joseph Strauss
- International Orange
- Amadeo Giannini
- John A. Roebling’s Sons
- Halfway to Hell Club
- How Long Is The Golden Gate Bridge?
Following decades of public calls to connect the burgeoning metropolis of San Franciscoto its neighbors across the mile-wide Golden Gate, city engineer Michael O’Shaughnessy in 1919 was charged with finding someone capable of constructing a bridge at a reasonable cost. The job went to a Chicago-based engineer named Joseph Strauss, a drawbridge buil...
Despite the economic promises touted by its supporters, the project met fierce resistance from an array of business and civic leaders. Not only would the bridge impede the shipping industry and mar the bay’s natural beauty, they argued, but it also wouldn’t survive a temblor like the San Francisco Earthquakethat crippled the city in 1906. Years of ...
In November 1930, a measure was passed to allow the issuance of $35 million in bonds to pay for the project. However, the Bridge and Highway District struggled to find a financial backer amid the difficulties of the Great Depression, a problem exacerbated by years of expensive legal proceedings. Desperate, Strauss personally sought help from Bank o...
When the towers were completed in June 1935, the New Jersey-based John A. Roebling’s Sons Company was tapped to handle the on-site construction of the suspension cables. The Roebling engineers, who had also worked on the Brooklyn Bridge, had mastered a technique in which individual steel wires were banded together in spools and carried across the l...
Despite the ongoing hazardous conditions faced by the crew, the construction produced just one casualty over four years. A supporting net had saved 19 workers from plunging into the strait, the survivors said to be members of the “Halfway to Hell Club.” However, the near-spotless safety record was blemished when a scaffold fell and tore through the...
A marvel of modern engineering, the Golden Gate Bridge is 1.7 miles long and 90 feet wide. Its 4,200-foot main span between the two towers was the longest for a suspension bridge until 1964, while its 746-foot towers made it the tallest bridge of any type until 1993. The Golden Gate Bridge withstood the destructive Loma Prieta earthquakeof 1989 and...
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Nov 10, 2014 · Length: 1.7 miles, including approaches. The main suspension span (0.8 miles) is currently the world’s ninth longest. Height: 746 feet, about 100 feet shorter than San Francisco’s Transamerica...
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- An earthquake struck the bridge before it was even completed. In June 1935 an earthquake struck the region as men worked atop the bridge's unfinished south tower.
- A safety net below the bridge saved the lives of 19 men during its construction. Golden Gate Bridge: Voters Decide. During construction, a safety net was suspended under the floor of the bridge, extending 10 feet wider than the bridge’s width and 15 feet longer than its length.
- The bridge's orange color was originally intended just as a primer. Thick paint on cables of the Golden Gate Bridge in their iconic color. The U.S. Navy had lobbied that the bridge be painted in blue and yellow stripes to increase its visibility.
- Many 'firsts' were set on the bridge’s opening day. Some of the thousands of guests who walked across the Golden Gate Bridge once it was opened to pedestrians in 1937.
3 days ago · Golden Gate Bridge, suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate in California to link San Francisco with Marin county to the north. Upon its completion in 1937, it was the tallest and longest suspension bridge in the world. Learn more about the history and construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.
How big is the Golden Gate Bridge? When constructed in 1937, it set the world record for the longest bridge span, the distance between supports (4,200 ft, 1,280 m) and also the tallest towers. Height of tower above water: 746 ft = 227 m
