Importance of the Golden Gate Bridge

From LoveToKnow SanFrancisco

The importance of the Golden Gate Bridge should not be understated. As one of California's most iconic landmarks, this 9,000-foot suspension bridge was a major engineering feat of its time.

What is the importance of the Golden Gate Bridge?

The Importance of the Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of San Francisco's most popular monuments. People come from all over the world just to walk its span and peer over its edges as the churning Golden Gate below, but why is this bridge such an important landmark?

The Longest Suspension Bridge

At the time of its construction in the 1930s, the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It maintained this point of pride for nearly 25 years, until the Verrazano Narrows Bridge was built in New York in 1964. Even today, this historic San Francisco landmark holds its place as the second largest suspension bridge in the country, behind Verrazano Narrows.

An Impossible Feat

At the time, experts thought that it would be impossible to build a bridge across the nearly 7,000 foot Golden Gate straight, as the tides and currents in that area are frighteningly strong and would make construction extremely difficult and dangerous. The water is over 500 feet deep in the center of the channel, and along with the area's strong winds and thick fog, the idea of building a bridge there seemed like an impossibility in the early 1900s.

Despite all of the drawbacks of building a bridge across the Golden Gate, Joseph Strauss was named as lead engineer for the project. Construction began January 5, 1933 and in the end cost more than $35 million to build.

Unprecedented Safety Measures

The Golden Gate Bridge is 9,000 feet long.

During the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, very few workmen's lives were lost. This is due to the fact that a huge safety net was installed under the bridge to catch workers who fell while on the job. This was a completely new endeavor, having in place such a large safety mechanism. In all, this net saved the lives of 19 men, who were thereafter called members of the "Half Way to Hell Club."

A Gateway to Northern California

Before the Golden Gate Bridge (and several others, such as the Bay, San Mateo, Richmond and Benicia bridges) were built, the only way to get from San Francisco to Marin County was by ferry. To drive the entire way would have taken several hours as the only roads went down through the South Bay and up through the East Bay. The construction of the Golden Gate Bridge eschewed in a new era for Bay Area residents, making it much easier to travel north up the coast from San Francisco.

Golden Gate Bridge Suicides

One unfortunate situation that affects the importance of the Golden Gate Bridge is the fact that it is the most popular suicide site in the United States. With the deck nearly 250 feet above the churning currents, jumpers reach speeds of up to 85 miles an hour by the time they hit the surface of the water.

Unfortunately, the impact with the water isn’t always fatal – meaning that momentary survivors are dragged by the current over to the rocky crags that surround the Golden Gate straight. The tides act like a washing machine against the jagged rocks, making for a violent way to end things.