San Francisco, California
One of the longest suspension bridges in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge spans a channel at the entrance of San Francisco Bay and connects northern California to the peninsula of San Francisco. The bridge was designed by Joseph B. Strauss. It was completed in 1937 at a total cost of $35½ million.
The official color of the bridge is International Safety Orange. It was chosen because it makes the bridge clearly visible even during bad weather.
Statistics
Total Length (including approaches) 8,981 feet (1.7 miles)
Length of Main Suspension Span (between the towers) 4,200 ft
Total Width 90 ft
Width of Roadway Between Curbs 62 feet
Clearance Above Mean High Water Level 220 feet
Height of Towers Above Water 746 feet
Diameter of Each Main Cable (with wrapping) 36-3/8 in
Total Length of Wire Used in Both Main Cables 80,000 mi
Complete information concerning the building of the bridge, as well as a full section of statistics, is available at the bridge's official website: http://goldengate.org.
The Robinson Library
Technology.--Bridge Engineering.--Individual Bridges.
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