It’s clear to see why the Bridge was named one of the “Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World” by the American Society of Civil Engineers. People come from all over the globe to learn how it was built, to admire its magnificent Art Deco design, and to be inspired.
"The city that knows how" was what President William Howard Taft famously called San Francisco in 1911.It's a cliche now, and sometimes that claim has been open to question. But generations of San Franciscans rebuilt the city from the ashes of 1906, staged two wildly successful world's fairs and spanned the waters of the bay with two remarkable pieces of engineering and architecture. One, the most famous and most elegant bridge in the world, turns 75
The Golden Gate Bridge wasn't a sure thing when it was proposed in 1922. Powerful interests were opposed, the country was about to enter its worst depression, and environmentalists thought such a structure would deface the natural beauty of the Golden Gate.
Also, many engineers considered the task impossible - leaping across nearly a mile of deep and turbulent water to link San Francisco with Marin County, tons and tons of steel stretched between towers looming 746 feet into the air.
But it was built, and it astounded the world. And it changed the Bay Area forever.
Change isn't always popular in this city, and sometimes change isn't for the better. But the right vision makes all the difference. That's the lesson of the Golden Gate Bridge: If you're building something big, think bold, and do it with style. This city deserves no less.
Total length: 8,980' (2,737 m)
Longest span: 4,200' (1,280 m)
Construction started: 1933
Height: 746' (227 m)
Additional stats:
- width of Golden Gate Bridge 90 ft.
- width of roadway 62 ft.
- height of towers above roadway 526 ft.
- number of pairs of suspender ropes 250
- weight of Golden Gate bridge 887,000 tons
- weight of both towers 44,000 tons
- weight of both main cables 24,500 tons
- length of each main cable 7,650 ft.
- length of steel wire in each main cable 40,000 mi.
- structural steel (original construction) 83,000 tons
- San Francisco tower foundation depth in water 110 ft.
- Costs to build $35 million principal - $39 million interest
Vandaag is het dus 75 jaar geleden dat de bouw van de Golden Gate brug voltooid was en er worden festiviteiten tijdens heel het Memorial weekend georganiseerd met als slot een prachtig vuurwerk.
Golden Gate Bridge's 75th anniversary Festival
Funny fact: No Bridge toll dollars were used to fund the public celebration. :)
Ik kom juist terug van Calcup en ben doodmoe van een weekend vol hockey, maar lui vanuit de zetel volgen we de vuurwerkshow live op TV en het was de moeite...
A waterfall of light cascaded from the Golden Gate Bridge and lit up the night Sunday as fireworks turned the San Francisco Bay and shoreline into a kaleidoscope of color. Thousands of people from all over the Bay Area lined Crissy Field to see the show and celebrate the 75th birthday of the majestic span.
lees meer over de festiviteiten in volgende artikels:
Golden Gate Bridge 75th fireworks and fog - SFGate
Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary: The World's Most Iconic Bridge Celebrates Historic Milestone
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