This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Zoe (talk | contribs) at 05:40, 26 January 2003. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 05:40, 26 January 2003 by Zoe (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge, built between the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula and Sausalito on the Marin County headlands. The construction of the bridge began on January 5, 1933 under the aegis of the Works Projects Administration (WPA), a program instigated by Franklin Delano Roosevelt to create public works through federal funds and alleviate the effects of the Great Depression. It was completed in April 1937 and opened to pedestrians on May 27 of that year. Vehicular travel started the following day.
The bridge spans the Golden Gate, the opening into the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. It is 1.22 miles (1970 m) long, the distance between the towers is 4200 ft (1280 m) and their height is 750 feet (230 m) above the water.
The bridge has six total lanes of traffic and walkways on both sides of the bridge. During the evening and the night it is not accessible for pedestrians.
Usually, the eastern walkway is for pedestrians only, and the western walkway is for bicycists only, although this can change during times of construction.
On September 1, 2002, the toll for southbound motor vehicles was raised from $3.00 to $5.00. Northbound, cycling, and pedestrian traffic remains toll free.
It has been declared one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Golden Gate Bridge, looking north toward the Marin headlands.
Photo from the Historic American Engineering Record, Public Domain. See http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/hhhtml/hhres.html