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Iconic Civil and Structural Engineering - The Golden Gate Bridge

By: Phil Byrne

Crossing the strait from Marin County to San Francisco, the Golden Gate single-suspension bridge has been captured on camera millions of times, not only by tourists cruising under its 4,200 ft span or standing at Fort Point, but also by movie-makers. From Vertigo (1958) to Interview with a Vampire (1994) the bridge has appeared on the big screen many times during the course of its history. Its 'International Orange' colour, originally only used as a sealant, was later chosen as a permanent feature, making the bridge visible in the strait's blinding fog for passing ships.

The Golden Gate Strait forms the entrance from the Pacific Ocean into San Francisco Bay. Many said that bridging its waters could never be done and its construction faced fierce opposition, including concerns raised by the Department of War about interference with naval ships. Undeterred, the American engineer Joseph Baerman Strauss took on the challenge of the deep, swift currents and ferocious winds and pursued his design, supported by engineers and architects with more expertise in cable-suspension. These included senior engineer, Charles Alton Ellis, who collaborated with bridge designer Leon Moisseiff, and became principal engineer. Not only was the Golden Gate Bridge constructed, it came in under budget ($35m) and ahead of schedule. Sadly, it also cost ten construction workers their lives during the four years it took to build. At twelve noon on 28 May, 1937 President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially announced the Golden Gate Bridge open by pressing a telegraph key inside the White House, signalling the way for traffic to begin crossing its five lanes.

Today, tolls are collected on the way into San Francisco and yellow markers help to ease commuting by allowing the centre lane to switch, giving three lanes into the city in the morning and three out in the afternoon/evening. Golden Gate Bridge can also be crossed by bicycle or on foot, allowing for a more leisurely view of its twin towers that rise 500 ft above the suspended roadway. With a full height of 746 ft the towers once made the bridge taller than any of San Francisco's buildings. Being smaller at the top than they are at the base, the towers look even taller than they actually are and the whole design of the bridge is resonant of an Art Deco theme, in particular its ribbing, walkways, railings and streetlights. Over the top of the twin towers run two cables, each over 7,000 ft long and containing 70,000 miles of wire, bedded in concrete piers at either end.

Golden Gate Bridge has been closed just three times due to weather, each time from wind gusts around 70 mph, and remains the second longest suspension bridge main span in the USA, as well as an internationally renowned symbol of California. Chief Engineer Joseph Strauss died just a year after the bridge's opening. In 2007 the Golden Gate Bridge District formally gave Charles Alton Ellis major credit for its design.

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