The Importance Of The Golden Gate Bridge

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In 1872, Charles Crocker, a railroad entrepreneur, called for a bridge that connected the Golden Gate Strait. The strait, approximately 3 miles long and 1 mile wide, is the entrance to San Francisco Bay, which is in California, from the Pacific Ocean. By 1916, Michael M. O'Shaughnessy, a San Francisco City Engineer, was asked by city officials to see if it was possible to build a bridge that crossed the strait. While most engineers claimed that a bridge was not able to be built and that it would cost about $100 million, Joseph Baermann Strauss claimed that a bridge would be easily built and would only cost about $25 to $30 million. After the long process of having the bridge design approved for constructing, on January 5, 1933, the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge had begun (“Golden Gate Bridge Research Library”). The main constructors included Joseph Baermann Strauss, Irving Morrow and Charles Ellis. Strauss had hired Irving Morrow to design small features for the bridge like pedestrian walkways and streetlamps. Morrow also made the bridge look luxurious by using a style called art deco (“Irving Morrow” and “Art Deco”). Since Morrow was to design the Bridge, he knew that it would play a significant role on its display in regards to its surroundings. As of today, “the color blends perfectly with the changing season tints of the spans’ natural setting against the San Francisco skyline and the Marin hills” (“Golden Gate Bridge Research Library”). Meanwhile, Charles Ellis was the engineering expert. He was later accused by Strauss of wasting money and time by working on equations of forces at the Golden Gate Bridge. Ellis was then told not to go back to construct the bridge. Ellis could not drop out of the project because he w...

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...c toll collection (ETC) system that allows drivers to prepay their bridge tolls, eliminating the need to stop at the toll plaza” (“FasTrak - Keeping the Bay Area Moving”). Although the bridge has been used every day since it has opened, there were 3 days where the bridge was closed down due to high winds. On December 1, 1951, the bridge was closed for approximately 3 hours because the winds were going 69 miles per hour. On December 23, 1982, the wind was up to 70 miles per hour and the bridge was closed for almost 2 hours. On December 3, 1983, the bridge closed for 3 hours and 27 minutes due to the high wind of 75 miles per hour. Through those high winds, the Golden Gate Bridge survived and had no damage (“Golden Gate Bridge Research Library”). Overall, the Golden Gate Bridge's design and construction continues to be one of San Francisco’s most legendary landmarks.

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