Secrets of the Golden Gate Bridge
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Retrofitting began after the quake, and is still ongoing. Sections have been reinforced with steel plates, and pylons have been anchored to the bedrock. Also, joints have been installed at certain points to release energy and allow for expansion. A new plan for a another major retrofit was approved in December, , which they say will make the bridge able to withstand an 8.
But it won't be finished until The good news is that engineers don't believe the bridge in its present state would fall down in the Big One, just that it could be sufficiently damaged to make it unusable for quite awhile. In part due to its fame and striking beauty, the Golden Gate Bridge has sadly been one of the most popular suicide spots in the world.
On average, someone jumps about every two weeks.
Building the Bridge
The bridge is patrolled by volunteers who are trained to talk to would-be jumpers; they've saved hundreds of lives. You'll also see telephones on the bridge where people can talk to someone if they're feeling suicidal. After years of talk and debate, the city has decided to build a metal net under the entire bridge.
It won't stop someone who's really determined, but it will give them time to rethink. A number of the survivors have said they regretted their decision the moment they were in the air. The net will be installed 20 feet below the roadway and will stick out about 20 feet on each side. It was scheduled to be completed in , but some problems were discovered in recent testing November, that indicated the new net could make the entire bridge unstable in high winds, so more study is required before the barrier can be installed.
The color was chosen sort of by accident. When the bridge was being built, the metal structure was coated with a reddish primer. One of the architects noticed that the color went beautifully with the blue water and golden-brown hills, and came up with the current color.
Plus, it stands out in the fog. Thank you, Irving F.
Golden Gate Bridge Images
The correct hex triplet is F04A There is a staff of 34 full-time painters that work just on the spots that need touching up. And they are currently using Sherwin Williams paint. Over 10 million people visit the Golden Gate Bridge every year. It has to be one of the world's most beautiful sights; even for locals, the sight of it never gets old. The complementary colors of the red-orange bridge and the brown, rocky hills, the blue water and sky, and the graceful sweep across the straight is spectacular. What's on the San Francisco side of the bridge?
I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through some of the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. This helps me provide all the free information I post on this website. Thank you for your support! The current Welcome Center is relatively new and combines a gift shop with some educational displays about the bridge. Good place to pick up maps. Worth a brief visit. Open daily, 9 to 6. If you're in the mood for souvenirs, like Golden Gate Bridge rivets, books, t-shirts or fog globes, this is the spot. At the Welcome Center Plaza, they have some interesting displays about the history and construction of the bridge, with more exhibits just on the other side of the bridge via the underpass.
This round building above the Welcome Center was built at the same time as the bridge, and in the same Art Deco, 's style. The Roundhouse Cafe is a good place to stop for lunch or a snack while visiting the bridge. They serve hot dogs, soup, salads and sandwiches, and the views are amazing. There's also a snack bar, the Bridge Cafe , just below it, that looks like it was built at the same time, in the same style, but it was actually built in to match the other buildings.
An icon of the San Francisco Bay area, the Golden Gate Bridge holds its share of secrets. Secrets of the Golden Gate Bridge [EJ Knapp] on www.farmersmarketmusic.com *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. From the gigantic shell mounds built by the earliest.
They sell mainly packaged snacks and drinks. The Golden Gate Bridge is very easy to get to.
10 secrets of the Golden Gate Bridge
Driving is easy because there are number of parking lots close by, and city buses make frequent stops at the Welcome Center, near the southern end of the bridge. Plus, the Hop On Hop Off buses stop near the Welcome Center, and there are good bike paths to the bridge from Fisherman's Wharf, where you can rent bikes.
Unlike driving and trying to park at many of San Francisco's favorite attractions, driving to the Golden Gate Bridge is no reason for a nervous breakdown! The surprise is that it's also easy and cheap to park there. If you are heading for the bridge on the Presidio Parkway also Highway , take the last SF exit before the bridge.
You'll need to be in the far right lane, and a sign warns you it is the last SF exit. From there, you can access the parking areas on either side of the bridge. You can drive under the bridge near the Welcome Center parking lot, and Lincoln Blvd. For a complete rundown on all the lots on the map above, and advice on the best places to park, see my page on Golden Gate Bridge parking.
I've also included details about parking on the Marin side of the Golden Gate, plus a map on how to find those as well. There are a number of excellent bike paths in the area near the bridge on the SF side; this is a popular biking spot for both locals and visitors. There are no bike rental offices near the bridge, but you can rent bikes at several places near Fisherman's Wharf and on Lombard Street en route to the bridge. From there, it's a relatively easy, and very scenic, ride to the bridge. Fun for kids, too, and mostly flat.
See my tips on where to rent the bikes , plus information on biking across the bridge and taking the ferry back. There are some good deals available for both renting bikes and taking bike tours over the bridge. It's easy to get to the Golden Gate Bridge by bus from many points in San Francisco; here are some options:. You can also catch it in Golden Gate Park. The 30 Golden Gate Transit bus run daily, about every hour, from many downtown stops, including stops all along Mission Street. It also runs through the city with numerous other stops on its way to the bridge. Get off at the Toll Plaza just before the bridge it also crosses the bridge and goes into Sausalito.
See the 30 route.
View from the Marin Headlands. He attended the official opening of the bridge to automobile traffic in May 28, but died the following May of coronary thrombosis in Los Angeles. See more info on this. When is the best time to walk across? Wander through the rooms and climb the winding stairways to the top.
There's a free shuttle that runs from downtown out to the Golden Gate Bridge, with one change at the Presidio. The PresidiGo buses run all day, seven days a week. See PresidiGo for the routes and schedules. We can't predict your family's reaction to International Orange -- never mind the neighbors -- but yes, you can. Copy the paint formula listed on the bridge's website -- it's free! Does the bridge get entirely painted every year? It's true that the top coat has been fully repainted over time with new and environmentally-improved International Orange top coats.
However, there are ares that haven't been stripped to bare metal and completely repainted, said Bauer. Every two years, the bridge's engineers conduct an inspection of every inch of the bridge, Cosulich-Schwartz said. Once a work plan is developed from those inspections, the painters know where they'll paint next. Then the bridge's ironworkers will rig up scaffolding to create the job site. They create containment areas for painters to change into and out of their protective gear.
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The areas also keep contaminants getting outside to the public, which are sometimes traveling just a few feet from the job site. That's when the painters start sandblasting the area to be painted to remove all of the old paint.
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Then they prime the area to a thickness of 10 milliliters, followed by an intermediate coat and two top coats. It can take months, depending on the size of the area. For the most part, however, "we're hoping to get 25, 30 years of life out of this paint job," said Bauer. It depends on which part of the bridge is being painted and how exposed it is to the elements.
Aaron Kozlowski, chief opperating engineer at the Golden Gate Bridge. It's the bridge's unique ring tone, created by four fog horns using 80 pounds of air pressure to blast decibels of sound. With a range of up to six miles, it's activated when it's too foggy for ships' crews to see the bridge.
Of course, it's a backup: The store suffered due to poor location and the image of being elitist , going bankrupt in He was last seen alive walking toward the Golden Gate Bridge, and shortly thereafter his body washed up on the shores of Marin County. Investigators concluded that he had committed suicide by jumping off the bridge. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Roy Larson Raymond [1].
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