The American Society of Civil Engineers named San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge one of the “Seven Civil Engineering Wonders of the United States.” It is both a symbol of architectural greatness and an essential part of transportation.
The bridge’s construction began 90 years ago last week, kicking off nearly four and a half years of arduous and dangerous labor.
If we focused on architecture or construction, this article could go on for pages about that aspect of the bridge. Aside from its impressive architectural history, it is vital to trucking and even ocean freight because it is part of an essential route in California and provides access to the vital Port of Oakland.
Historic construction
Construction officially began on January 5, 1933. But, as if building the bridge wasn’t tricky enough, there were numerous setbacks.
According to the Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District, the first incident involved a ship, the Sidney M. Hauptman, getting lost in the fog and colliding with an almost complete trestle. This delayed construction by a month. Then, nearly four months later, in October 1933, a storm caused swells to batter the trestle, resulting in the disappearance of three of five completed fender sections, the end of the access trestle, and construction equipment. Another storm in December of that year damaged the bridge by 800 feet.
On October 21, 1936, a traveling derrick used to move large amounts of material fell. Kermit Moore, a bridge construction worker, was killed instantly. He was the first, but far from the only, casualty of the massive construction project. After four months, ten tons of lumber fell into the project’s safety net, knocking 12 men into the water. Only two people survived.
Fortunately, this was the last disaster, and construction could resume without further disruption. An earthquake threatened the bridge just days before it was finished, but no damage was done.
The bridge was first used by pedestrians on May 27, 1937, with vehicular traffic following the next day.
An integral passageway
According to the district, the Golden Gate Bridge, which connects San Francisco County and Marin County, sees nearly 40 million crossings annually. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the United States Department of Transportation, 555,000 of those are estimated to be freight trucks.
Every year, many container ships pass beneath the bridge on their way to the Port of Oakland. According to The Associated Press, the largest container ship to visit the United States cleared the bridge with 20 feet to spare in 2015. Benjamin Franklin passed through the area on its way from China to the Port of Oakland. The ship can carry 18,000 containers, whereas the average container ship serving the United States previously carried 14,000.
The FHWA announced a $400 million project through the Large Bridge Grants program on January 4 this year to improve infrastructure on the bridge to ensure its longevity due to its importance in California transit. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and its Bridge Investment Program make the grant possible.
Replacement, retrofitting, and installing critical structural elements will increase resiliency against the area’s common earthquakes.
