- The Golden Gate Bridge is a recognizable symbol for San Francisco and the United States It was named “Golden Gate” after the narrow strait that separates this Californian city from the Pacific Ocean. This name was given to it in 1846 by Captain John Fremont.
- The bridge was built between 1933 and 1937 based on the ideas of the young engineer Joseph B. Strauss. It was opened to the public on May 28, 1937. About $35 million was spent on its construction, and experts estimate that such a bridge would cost more than $1 billion today.
- More than 2,300 citizens, companies and organizations opposed the construction of the bridge. The main opponent was understandably the Southern Pacific Railroad, which owned 51 percent of the ferries that carried people and cars from San Francisco to nearby Marin County. Nonprofit organizations such as the Sierra Club also opposed the construction because they feared that the bridge would endanger the natural beauty and the flora and fauna.
- There is no information on exactly how many people worked on the construction of the bridge, but it is known that ten different construction companies were involved in the process. None of these companies still exist, so accurate data on all people who worked on the Golden Gate Bridge has been lost.
- Just three months before the bridge was opened, ten people died after the scaffolding on which they stood fell through a safety net into the Pacific Ocean. A total of 11 people died during the construction of the bridge.
- “Halfway to hell” is the nickname of the safety net that was placed under the steel structure during the construction of the bridge. This net saved the lives of 19 people who lost their balance while working on the bridge.
- The Golden Gate Bridge weights 887,000 tons and extends to an altitude of 1,280 meters. After construction, it was considered the largest suspension bridge in the world. Today, it is the eighth largest suspension bridge in the world and the second largest in the United States after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York. The title of the largest bridge is held by Akashi-Kaikyo in Japan, which is 1991 meters long.
- From the moment the bridge was opened until the beginning of 2014, a total of 2,025,883,491 vehicles crossed the bridge.
- Due to bad weather, the bridge was closed only three times: in 1951, 1982 and 1983, because the winds reached a speed of 110 to 120 kilometers per hour, so the traffic was suspended for several hours.
- In April 1976, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transport District made an important decision: motor vehicles with two axles and three or more passengers do not have to pay tolls during traffic jams. This rule was valid until 2010. Today, the transition for such vehicles is charged $ 4.
- For many visitors to the bridge, the Golden Gate’s 50th birthday celebration turned into a nightmare as organizers expected 50,000 people and 800,000 showed up. Due to the strong wind and heavy traffic, the bridge began to sway, so many felt claustrophobia, nausea and dizziness.
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