Golden Gate Bridge towers to get up-close inspection
Updated 6:19 pm, Thursday, April 26, 2018
An inspector checks out the underside of the Golden Gate Bridge in 2015. Engineers are scheduled to inspect the towers next week.
An inspector checks out the underside of the Golden Gate Bridge in 2015. Engineers are scheduled to inspect the towers next week.
Photo: Brandon Chew / The Chronicle 2015
The Golden Gate Bridge cost $35 million (1937 dollars) to build and was finished ahead of schedule and under budget. Good luck making that happen today.
The Golden Gate Bridge cost $35 million (1937 dollars) to build and was finished ahead of schedule and under budget. Good luck making that happen today.
Photo: Chronicle File Photo
Nineteen men survived falling from the Golden Gate Bridge during its construction. The unlikely brotherhood became known as the 'Halfway to Hell Club,' an allusion to the fact they were caught by the safety net suspended below the bridge during construction.
Seen here are six of the members of the Halfway to Hell Club.
lessNineteen men survived falling from the Golden Gate Bridge during its construction. The unlikely brotherhood became known as the 'Halfway to Hell Club,' an allusion to the fact they were caught by the safety net ... more
Photo: San Francisco Chronicle
In 2005, a van headed for a farm in Healdsburg came to a sudden stop, catapulting its cargo through a window and onto the bridge pavement near the toll plaza. That cargo? An ostrich.
"It should never have happened," said the driver of the van, Ronald Love, told the Chronicle at the time. "The ostrich's butt broke the window. You never would think an ostrich could fit through a little window, but she did."
After 10 minutes of wrangling, CHP and a tow truck driver helped Love to escort the ostrich into a nearby garage. The ostrich was not injured, but it did have a hell of a story to tell its bird friends.
lessIn 2005, a van headed for a farm in Healdsburg came to a sudden stop, catapulting its cargo through a window and onto the bridge pavement near the toll plaza. That cargo? An ostrich.
"It should never have
... moreIf you’d like your ashes scattered from the bridge someday, that’s unfortunately illegal. It’s a misdemeanor in California to “willfully” drop or throw anything from a toll bridge.
If you’d like your ashes scattered from the bridge someday, that’s unfortunately illegal. It’s a misdemeanor in California to “willfully” drop or throw anything from a toll bridge.
Photo: Eric Risberg, Associated Press
The busiest day ever for the bridge was Oct. 27, 1989, 10 days after the Loma Prieta earthquake. With the damaged Bay Bridge out of service, tens of thousands of drivers were forced to take the Golden Gate to get in or out of San Francisco. On Oct. 27, 162,414 cars went over the bridge, a number that has never been topped. less
The busiest day ever for the bridge was Oct. 27, 1989, 10 days after the Loma Prieta earthquake. With the damaged Bay Bridge out of service, tens of thousands of drivers were forced to take the Golden Gate to ... more
Photo: Scott Sommerdorf, The Chronicle
One of the most persistent urban legends about the bridge is actually true: The U.S. Navy did try to get it painted black with yellow stripes. They were concerned ships would hit the bridge and block the crucial shipping lane. Luckily, the bridge planners went with a high-visibility orange color, now known the world-over as International Orange. less
One of the most persistent urban legends about the bridge is actually true: The U.S. Navy did try to get it painted black with yellow stripes. They were concerned ships would hit the bridge and block the ... more
Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle
The 50th anniversary celebration of the bridge’s opening led to some dramatic photos (which may have popped up on your social media feeds recently as alleged “protest” photos). The bridge was closed to automobile traffic for the celebration on May 1987, and nearly one million people showed up for the bridge crossing. Poor crowd control led to 300,000 people on the span at once and the bridge actually flattened out in the middle under their weight.
Analysis showed no permanent damage had been done, but bridge officials now know the limits of pedestrian traffic.
lessThe 50th anniversary celebration of the bridge’s opening led to some dramatic photos (which may have popped up on your social media feeds recently as alleged “protest” photos). The bridge was closed to
... morePedestrian access didn’t used to be free. From 1937-1970, a sidewalk fee was charged via a coin turnstile.
Pedestrian access didn’t used to be free. From 1937-1970, a sidewalk fee was charged via a coin turnstile.
Photo: Www.goldengate75.org
In 2009, CHP had to stop a rider on horseback who was crossing the bridge to San Francisco. Horses are not allowed on the bridge due to safety concerns.
"We had him turn around and exit the bridge, and he had someone pick him up with a trailer," said bridge district Sgt. Bill Sangregory.
lessIn 2009, CHP had to stop a rider on horseback who was crossing the bridge to San Francisco. Horses are not allowed on the bridge due to safety concerns.
"We had him turn around and exit the bridge, and he had
... moreThe bridge witnessed one of history’s most destructive secrets when on July 16, 1945, the USS Indianapolis passed through the strait on its way to Hawaii and Tinian Island beyond. On board were the uranium and other major components used to create the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima a month later. less
The bridge witnessed one of history’s most destructive secrets when on July 16, 1945, the USS Indianapolis passed through the strait on its way to Hawaii and Tinian Island beyond. On board were the uranium ... more
Photo: Wide World
The bridge is no stranger to protests. In 1996, actor Woody Harrelson and eight other protestors climbed onto the south tower with banners to protest the logging of redwoods in Humboldt County. Traffic was mired for hours. Harrelson was levied with a $1,000 fine. less
The bridge is no stranger to protests. In 1996, actor Woody Harrelson and eight other protestors climbed onto the south tower with banners to protest the logging of redwoods in Humboldt County. Traffic was ... more
Photo: ERIC SLOMANSON
The James Bond flick ‘A View to a Kill’ features an iconic scene of Bond tussling with a foe on the north tower of the Golden Gate. Filmmakers had hoped to drop a dummy off the bridge to approximate the loser’s plummet down into the water below, but the District Board of Directors nixed their plan.
"With all the problems we have with suicides on this Bridge, I think this is a bum idea," said board director Quentin Kopp.
lessThe James Bond flick ‘A View to a Kill’ features an iconic scene of Bond tussling with a foe on the north tower of the Golden Gate. Filmmakers had hoped to drop a dummy off the bridge to approximate the
... moreAnother movie had issues filming on the bridge. In 1959, the crew for Stanley Kramer’s ‘On the Beach’ were filming a submarine passing under the bridge from the west sidewalk. Unfortunately, the morning fog was so thick that the sub couldn’t be seen. The submarine cruised laps while the crew waited for the fog to dissipate; behind them in Marin, traffic was building as the morning commute began. By 9 a.m., the fog was still thick and the traffic was at a stand-still for a mile back. less
Another movie had issues filming on the bridge. In 1959, the crew for Stanley Kramer’s ‘On the Beach’ were filming a submarine passing under the bridge from the west sidewalk. Unfortunately, the morning ... more
Photo: United Artists, The Chronicle, File 1959
As beloved as it is now, there were voices against its construction. One loud voice was that of the Southern Pacific Railroad company, which filed a lawsuit to try to stop the bridge from being built because it threatened to eradicate its lucrative ferry business. They had reason to fear the bridge; when the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate opened in the 1930s, Southern Pacific ferry service dwindled down until it was eventually permanently shuttered in 1958. less
As beloved as it is now, there were voices against its construction. One loud voice was that of the Southern Pacific Railroad company, which filed a lawsuit to try to stop the bridge from being built because it ... more
Photo: Chronicle
San Francisco legend Johnny Mathis’s brother, Clem, was hired as a toll taker on the bridge in 1961.
San Francisco legend Johnny Mathis’s brother, Clem, was hired as a toll taker on the bridge in 1961.
Snow’s a rare thing in the Bay Area, but it has graced the iconic bridge in recent history. It snowed on the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge on Jan. 22, 2010.
It also snowed one to two inches on San Francisco streets in Feb. 5, 1976, seen here.
lessSnow’s a rare thing in the Bay Area, but it has graced the iconic bridge in recent history. It snowed on the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge on Jan. 22, 2010.
It also snowed one to two inches on San
... moreHigh winds have closed the bridge three times in its history. Once on Dec. 1, 1951 (69 mph), once on Dec. 23, 1982 (70 mph) and Dec. 3, 1983 (75 mph)
High winds have closed the bridge three times in its history. Once on Dec. 1, 1951 (69 mph), once on Dec. 23, 1982 (70 mph) and Dec. 3, 1983 (75 mph)
Photo: Jeff Chiu, Associated Press
Don’t be alarmed by the people swinging up and down the Golden Gate Bridge next week, officials say.
Strapped in to their ropes and pulleys, engineers are scheduled to begin inspections of the bridge’s towers Monday morning. This is the first year that the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District will get up close to survey the towers, in a method called “arms-length inspection.”
In previous tower inspections, the district’s engineers used binoculars to look for problem areas, bridge spokeswoman Priya Clemens said. Dangling inspectors were also used in 2015 to examine the bridge’s underside.
The engineers will descend down the towers by rope, keeping an eye out for rust and other markers of structural or aesthetic issues.
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Since 1937, it's believed nearly 2,000 people have jumped to their death off the Golden Gate Bridge. It has been called a suicide magnet. On Thursday, it was announced a suicide barrier will be completed by January 2021.
Media: JW Player“Our salty marine environment does its best to corrode the steel,” district engineer Ewa Bauer said. “The inspection teams will look carefully at every rivet and seam to determine what work we need to do to keep this beautiful structure standing strong.”
Clemens said the engineers will be visible to visitors on the bridge, but that they will not be rappelling directly over traffic.
“We want to get the word out there,” Clemens said about the spectacle. “Take a look, but keep going. There’s no need to call us about people hanging on the bridge.”
The district is contracting with HDR Engineering to complete the inspection, Clemens said. Crews have spent this week putting up scaffolding on the sidewalks to protect pedestrians and cyclists.
The inspection is expected to be completed within a week, Clemens said, and all scaffolding will come down by May 11.
Annie Ma is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ama@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @anniema15
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