Golden Gate Bridge is one of the marvellous achievement in Architecture in the last Century.

  • Golden Gate was the longest suspension Bridge from 1937 to 1964.
    Now it is 9th longest suspension Bridge in world and also declared “Wonders of the Modern World”
    It connects San Francisco Bay with the Pacific Ocean.
    It’s total length is about 9000 ft (2.74 km) and width is 90 ft and height is almost 750 ft (230mt).
    It’s largest span in middle is almost 4,200 ft (1,280mt) and it has clearance above water is 220 ft and vertical clearance is 14ft ( at toll gates).
  • Golden Gate was awarded as “Wonders of the Modern World” by American Society of Civil Engineers in 1994.
  • Golden Gate name was coined by John C. Fremont ( an Engineers of U.S. Army) in 1846. Originally named as “Chrysopylae” which means “Golden Horn”. “Chrysopylae” came from “Chrysoceras” ( harbor in Istanbul).
  • Total weight — 805,000,000 kg or 887 thousand tons.
  • Construction of Golden Gate was commenced on January 5, 1933 after $35 million bond raised (approx. $1.2 billion dollar compare with 2004 price).
    Joseph B. Strauss submitted final plans on August 27, 1930.

    Within 4 yr it was almost completed and opened on May 27, 1937 for public pedestrians and 1 day later for Vehicle.

  • “Halfway-to-Hell Club”— The safety measures ( a net suspended under this bridge) was taken to build this Gate saved almost 19 people life and all of them was called as “”Halfway-to-Hell Club”.
    Casualty was almost nil (only one named Kermit Moore died on October 21 1936) till February 17, 1937 and it was a record because at that time 1 casualty for 1 million was normal ( $35 million budget for this gate). But an incident occurred on Feb 17 when safety net tore down with 10 workers.
    So total casualty was 11.
  • Joseph B. Strauss , Chief Engineer, wrote a poem about Golden Gate in 1937 “The Mighty Task is Done”.

    At last the mighty task is done;
    Resplendent in the western sun
    The Bridge looms mountain high;
    Its titan piers grip ocean floor,
    Its great steel arms link shore with shore,
    Its towers pierce the sky.

    On its broad decks in rightful pride,
    The world in swift parade shall ride,
    Throughout all time to be;
    Beneath, fleet ships from every port,
    Vast landlocked bay, historic fort,
    And dwarfing all–the sea.

    To north, the Redwood Empire’s gates;
    ‘To south, a happy playground waits,
    in Rapturous appeal;
    Here nature, free since time began,
    Yields to the restless moods of man,
    Accepts his bonds of steel.

    Launched midst a thousand hopes and fears,
    Damned by a thousand hostile sneers,
    Yet ne’er its course was stayed,
    But ask of those who met the foe
    Who stood alone when faith was low,
    Ask them the price they paid.

    Ask of the steel, each strut and wire,
    Ask of the searching, purging fire,
    That marked their natal hour;
    Ask of the mind, the hand, the heart,
    Ask of each single, stalwart part,
    What gave it force and power.

    An Honored cause and nobly fought
    And that which they so bravely wrought,
    Now glorifies their deed,
    No selfish urge shall stain its life,
    Nor envy, greed, intrigue, nor strife,
    Nor false, ignoble creed.

    High overhead its lights shall gleam,
    Far, far below life’s restless stream,
    Unceasingly shall flow;
    For this was spun its lithe fine form,
    To fear not war, nor time, nor storm,
    For Fate had meant it so.

  • Location Of Golden Gate Bridge

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  • Fabricated steel made by Bethlehem Steel in plants (Trenton, New Jersey and Sparrows Point).

    10 different contractors were involved.

    600,000 rivets in each tower.

    128 lights ( 250 watt sodium vapour lamp) are installed on the bridge roadway. 24 tower sidewalk lights (35 watt) and 12 light (400 watt) illuminates each tower.

  • Colour of the Bridge — unique International Orange colour. Irving Morrow, an Architect, selected the colour. 10 million square feet of steel was painted.
    Paint superintendent Rocky Dellarocca jokes

    “Yeah, you start at one end, and when you get to the other end, you retire.”

    It’s the most beautiful bridge in the world. The Navy wanted to paint it black and yellow so it was more visible, but the [Golden Gate] Bridge District said no way.”

    The original paint was removed in 1965 ( due to corrosion by original paint and used inorganic zinc silicate primer with acrylic emulsion). It took almost 30 years. Now 38 painters regularly work on it along with 17 Ironworker (they remove corroded steel and rivets).

    Corroded rivets were replaced with ASTM A-325 (galvanized high-strength bolts) in 1970.

  • 1,970,331,117 vehicles have crossed so far till May 30, 2012.

    Lowest volume of traffic in January 6, 1982(Wednesday) –3,921 vehicles only crossed as land slides and flooding covered the roads.
    Highest volume of traffic in — October 17, 1989 (Tuesday) – Loma Prieta earthquake(7.1 Richter scale) jolted San Francisco Bay Area at 5:04 pm . October 27, 1989 (Friday) –162,414 vehicles crossed the bridge.
    Average crossing is 42 million per year.
    October 19, 1968 Golden Gate Bridge changed it’s toll collection system and started collecting toll for one-way only.
    Toll increased to $6 southbound only in September 2 2008.

    The bridge has been closed 3 times. Once for bad weather and another closed was briefly for visits by President Roosevelt and French President De Gaulle and also closed on its fiftieth birthday.

  • Golden Gate Bridge has the highest number of suicides in the world. Harold B Wobler was the first person who committed suicides after 10 weeks of opening of the bridge. About 80 miles/hours a Jumpers/suicide commuters reach before crashing into the water.
    Though bicycles are allowed at night but pedestrians are restricted.
    At least 1600 have died so far. Last year , 2011, 37 people committed suicide.

    Plan for building a net under the bridge in 2008 couldn’t be done due to lack of fund because $50 million was necessary but only $5 million was raised.

    • Photos Of Golden Gate