California - Golden Gate Bridge, Did You Know?

Did you know?
The construction of the Gold Gate Bridge began on January 5, 1933.  The bridge opened to pedestrian traffic four and one half years later on May 27, 1937.  It opened with a grand celebration and vehicles were allowed on the roadway the following day.  The cost of building the bridge was 35.5 million dollars.  It is constructed with two towers, 746 feet (227m) tall, from which two main cables, 36 1/2 inches (.92) in diameter, are strung. At 50 foot intervals steel rope hangs from the two cables to support the concrete roadway and sidewalks below.  The Golden Gate Bridge is a connection link in U.S. Highway 101 stretching from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Coast.  The bridge connects the City and County of San Francisco to the south and Marin County and other California destinations to the north.

Facts and Statistics
Total length of bridge 8,981 ft (2,737m)
Length of suspended structure 6,450 ft (1,966m)
Length of main span 4,200 ft (1,280m)
Width of Bridge 90 ft (27.4m)
Clearance above mean high water 220 ft (67m)
Height of towers 746 ft (227m)
Length of one cable 7,650 ft (2,330m)
Diameter of main cables 36 3/8" (.92m)
Number of wires in each cable 27,572
Number of strands in each cable 61

Photo by Ken Glaser, Jr.
2013