Seven
Wonders of the Modern World:
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate
Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening
of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean. As part of both
U.S. Route 101 and State Route 1, it connects the city of San
Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula to
Marin County.
The Golden Gate Bridge had the longest suspension bridge span in
the world when it was completed in 1937, and has become an
internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco and
California. Since its completion, the span length has been
surpassed by eight other bridges. It still has the second longest
suspension bridge main span in the United States, after the
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City.
The
Design, Finance and Construction
Joseph
Strauss was the Chief Engineer in charge of overall design
and construction of the bridge project. However, because he had
little understanding or experience with cable suspension designs,
responsibility for much of the engineering and architecture fell on
other experts.
The Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District was incorporated in
1928 as the official entity to design, construct, and finance the
Golden Gate Bridge. However, after the Wall Street Crash of 1929,
the District was unable to raise the construction funds, so it
lobbied for a $35 million bond measure.
The bonds were approved in November 1930, by votes in the counties
affected by the bridge. The construction budget at the time of
approval was $30.1 million. However, the District was unable to
sell the bonds until 1932, when the founder of San Francisco-based
Bank of America agreed on behalf of his bank to buy the entire
issue in order to help the local economy.
Construction
began on 5 January 1933. The project cost more than $35
million. Strauss remained head of the project, overseeing
day-to-day construction and making some groundbreaking
contributions. He innovated the use of movable safety netting
beneath the construction site, which saved the lives of many
otherwise-unprotected steelworkers. Of eleven men killed from falls
during construction, ten were killed when the net failed under the
stress of a scaffold that had fallen. The project was
finished by April 1937, $1.3 million under
budget.
Aesthetics
Despite its red
appearance, the color of the bridge is officially an orange
vermilion called international orange. The color was selected by
consulting architect Irving Morrow because it blends well with the
natural surroundings yet enhances the bridge's visibility in
fog.
The bridge is widely considered one of the most beautiful
examples of bridge engineering, both as a structural
design challenge and for its aesthetic appeal. It was declared one
of the modern Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil
Engineers
Aesthetics was the foremost reason why the first design of Joseph
Strauss was rejected. Upon re-submission of his bridge construction
plan, he added details, such as lighting, to outline the bridge's
cables and towers.
The Golden Gate Bridge has a similar sister bridge in Lisbon,
Portugal.
References /
Image Credits:
Wikipedia
1.
Wikimedia
2. Famous
SAE Alumni
3.
Wikimedia
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