Golden Gate Bridge

Photo by Cliff West

The Golden Gate Bridge (actually, its color is International Orange, not gold) is the most famous bridge designed by noted bridge designer Joseph B. Strauss, who designed over 100 bridges, including many of Chicago's lift bridges over the Chicago River, the operating mechanism for the Burnside Bridge in Portland, Oregon and the Lewis & Clark Bridge over the Columbia River between Rainier, Oregon and Longview, Washington. Construction began January 5, 1933, and when the bridge opened to pedestrian traffic May 27, 1937, it was ahead of schedule and under budget.  The bridge opened to auto traffic at noon the next day. The bridge is 9,266 feet long, and the main span (between the towers) is 4,200 feet. This was the longest suspension span in the world until the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in New York City (which is 60 feet longer) opened on November 21, 1964. Today it is the seventh-longest suspension span in the world. On average, 100,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day, and over 1 billion have crossed since it opened. The Golden Gate Bridge was named one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers on February 16, 1994.

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