Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Opening of the Bridge
The bridge that most people said could never be built was
completed on time and under budget in the midst of the
Great Depression. Joseph B. Strauss finally won widespread
support for the bridge, and a major bond issue financed its
$35-million, four-year construction. When it opened, every
siren and church bell in San Francisco and Marin sounded
simultaneously as part of a huge celebration.
First Vehicles Cross
At noon on May 28, 1937, the roadway
opened. An official convoy of Cadillacs
and Packards were the first vehicles to
cross the bridge.
Opening Day Crowd
On May 27, 1937, the bridge opened only for
pedestrians. An estimated 200,000 people came
to walk across the bridge.
The Bridge in Figures
• Every year approximately 40 million vehicles cross the bridge; every
day about 112,000 vehicles use it.
• The original coat of paint lasted for 27 years, needing only touch-
ups. From 1965 to 1995, a crew removed the old paint and applied
a more durable coating.
• The two great 7,650-ft (2,332-m) main cables are more than 3 ft
(1 m) thick, and contain 80,000 miles
(128,744 km) of steel wire, enough
to encircle the earth at the equator
three times.
• The volume of concrete poured
into the piers and anchorages during
the bridge's construction would be
enough to lay a 5-ft-wide (1.5 m)
sidewalk stretching from New York
to San Francisco, a distance of
more than 2,500 miles (4,000 km).
• The bridge was designed to
withstand 100 mph (160 km/h)
winds.
• Each pier has to withstand a tidal
flow of more than 60 mph (97 km/h),
while supporting a 22,000-ton steel
tower above.
View from Vista Point
The best view of both the bridge
and San Francisco is from the
Marin side.
Original painting of the bridge
