I'm so excited to be a part of the celebration of one of our countries national landmarks!!! Yup that's right today is the 75th year anniversary of the Golden Gate Bride, which is considered one of engineering's seven wonders of the world. Did you know that at the time the Golden Gate was built it was considered an unimaginable impossible task to build a bridge connecting Marin to San Francisco. The idea for the building of the bridge was posed in 19th century, but due to impossible conditions such as tidal rips, frequent dense fogs, 372-foot-deep channel and occasional winds past 70 mph the task was seen as impossible. Joseph Strauss however an innovative engineer tackled the many challenges in his design and the bridge was built. The bridge was estimated to cost $27 million dollars which at the time was an insane amount considering the US economy was just $59 billion at the time. The construction of the bridge began in 1933 and the bridge opened just 4 years later to cars 75 years ago May 27, 1937.
So here are some interesting facts about the bridge!!!
1. The color the bridge is painted is called "International Orange" the choice of color was suggested by William Morrow for 3 reasons: to distinguish the bridge from the usual dull gray accorded such structures; to make it more visible in the bay’s famous fogs; and to help it blend harmoniously with its natural surroundings.
2. The bridge is painted all the time by a crew of 28 painters 5 helpers 13 ironworkers and 3 helpers and one chief bridge painter. Currently, the two main cables are being repainted.
3.The bridge’s name reflects its location, not its color. Famed explorer John C. Fremont is credited with naming this 1.5-mile passage that connects San Francisco Bay to the open ocean.
4. Over 2 billion cars have crossed the Golden Gate Bridge.
5. The current toll to cross the bridge southbound is $6.
6. Many superlatives rested in the bridge when it first opened. The suspended span of 4,200 feet was the longest in the world and remained so for 37 years, until New York’s Verrazano Narrows Bridge beat it by 60 feet in 1964. The two suspension towers, 746 feet above the water, were the tallest in the world.
7. The construction project cost 11 lives, a safety record by the standards of the times. (Though it’s worth noting the Empire State Building was built with six fatalities.)
8. A really sad and unfortunate statistic is that the bridge is a popular spot for suicides — more than 1,200. A suicide-prevention net is planned soon. (a moving documentary on the golden gate bridge suicides was made by Eric Steele to gain awareness on the serious problem, the documentary
The Bridge takes a look at why this spot is one of the most popular suicide destinations in the world.)
9. It would also be accurate to call this the “people’s bridge” — it was bought and paid for entirely by the residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. Neither the federal nor state government contributed anything to building the bridge; in fact, it was declared folly by many to embark on such a project in the height of the Great Depression. The residents of San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, Del Norte, Napa and Mendocino counties inside the new Golden Gate Bridge District voted more than 3-1 on Nov. 4, 1930, to issue bonds for the project.
10. It has been closed by winds only three times — the highest gusts reached 75 mph.
11. It's highest-traffic day was on Oct. 27, 1989, at 162,414 vehicles.
12. Despite its position almost directly atop the San Andreas Fault, it easily withstood the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, strongest in the Bay Area since the 1906 quake.
13. Below is my favorite picture of the bridge taken by my sister Elena Antichevich January, 2012 during her visit here!
For more information on the Golden Gate Bridge click
here
For more images on the opening of the bridge click
here
Images of the golden gate at night click
here
Posts
