59-545: As a prominent American landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge has been used in a variety of media, often shown or mentioned where San Francisco , California is the setting of the story. This page reveals all the Films , TV series , Documentaries , Video games and others where the Golden Gate Bridge was destroyed The Golden Gate Bridge has been destroyed by many disasters in the following films. It has featured also in
118-656: A special district to design, build and finance the bridge. San Francisco and most of the counties along the North Coast of California joined the Golden Gate Bridge District, with the exception being Humboldt County , whose residents opposed the bridge's construction and the traffic it would generate. Strauss was the chief engineer in charge of the overall design and construction of the bridge project. However, because he had little understanding or experience with cable-suspension designs, responsibility for much of
177-494: A 40% lighter, and stronger, steel orthotropic deck panels, over 401 nights without closing the roadway completely to traffic. The roadway was also widened by two feet, resulting in outside curb lane width of 11 feet, instead of 10 feet for the inside lanes. This deck replacement was the bridge's greatest engineering project since it was built and cost over $ 68 million. The bridge-opening celebration in 1937 began on May 27 and lasted for one week. The day before vehicle traffic
236-785: A lawsuit against the project, leading to a mass boycott of the ferry service. In May 1924, Colonel Herbert Deakyne held the second hearing on the Bridge on behalf of the Secretary of War in a request to use federal land for construction. Deakyne, on behalf of the Secretary of War, approved the transfer of land needed for the bridge structure and leading roads to the "Bridging the Golden Gate Association" and both San Francisco County and Marin County, pending further bridge plans by Strauss. Another ally
295-521: A local whale watching operator. Tolls are only collected from southbound traffic at the toll plaza on the San Francisco side of the bridge. All-electronic tolling has been in effect since 2013, and drivers may either pay using the FasTrak electronic toll collection device, using the license plate tolling program, or via a one time payment online. Effective July 1, 2025 ( 2025-07-01 ) ,
354-525: A massive cantilever on each side of the strait, connected by a central suspension segment, which Strauss promised could be built for $ 17 million (equivalent to $ 476 million in 2023). A suspension-bridge design was chosen, using recent advances in bridge design and metallurgy . Strauss spent more than a decade drumming up support in Northern California. The bridge faced opposition, including litigation, from many sources. The Department of War
413-445: A metal curb, but railings between the walkways and the traffic lanes were added in 2003, primarily as a measure to prevent bicyclists from falling into the roadway. The bridge was designated as part of U.S. Bicycle Route 95 in 2021. The main walkway is on the eastern side, and is open for use by both pedestrians and bicycles in the morning to mid-afternoon during weekdays (5:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.), and to pedestrians only for
472-525: A movable barrier since the 1980s, only in March 2005 did the Bridge Board of Directors commit to finding funding to complete the $ 2 million study required prior to the installation of a movable median barrier. Installation of the resulting barrier was completed on January 11, 2015, following a closure of 45.5 hours to private vehicle traffic, the longest in the bridge's history. The new barrier system, including
531-547: A scaffold (secured by undersized bolts) with twelve men on it fell into and broke through the safety net; two of the twelve survived the 200-foot (61 m) fall into the water. The bridge opened May 27, 1937. The Round House Café diner was then included in the southeastern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, adjacent to the tourist plaza which was renovated in 2012. The Round House Café, an Art Deco design by Alfred Finnila completed in 1938, has been popular throughout
590-404: A site near the bridge. As part of the fiftieth anniversary celebration in 1987, the Golden Gate Bridge district again closed the bridge to automobile traffic and allowed pedestrians to cross it on May 24. This Sunday morning celebration attracted 750,000 to 1,000,000 people, and ineffective crowd control meant the bridge became congested with roughly 300,000 people, causing the center span of
649-399: A strong windstorm soon after it was completed, because of an unexpected aeroelastic flutter . Ellis was also tasked with designing a "bridge within a bridge" in the southern abutment, to avoid the need to demolish Fort Point, a pre–Civil War masonry fortification viewed, even then, as worthy of historic preservation. He penned a graceful steel arch spanning the fort and carrying the roadway to
SECTION 10
#1733086054352708-858: Is $ 10.25. San Francisco Bulletin The San Francisco Evening Bulletin was a newspaper in San Francisco , founded as the Daily Evening Bulletin in 1855 by James King of William . King used the newspaper to crusade against political corruption, and built it into having the highest circulation in the city. He died a year after its founding, assassinated by rival newspaperman and local politician James P. Casey, whom King had exposed as an ex-felon. William Chauncey Bartlett and Samuel Williams were among its editors, with Williams "responsible for dramatic criticism and book reviews". In December 1894, R. A. Crothers purchased
767-406: Is 4,200 feet (1,280 m) and its total height is 746 feet (227 m). Before the bridge was built, the only practical short route between San Francisco and what is now Marin County was by boat across a section of San Francisco Bay. A ferry service began as early as 1820, with a regularly scheduled service beginning in the 1840s for the purpose of transporting water to San Francisco. In 1867,
826-478: Is estimated to be 80,000 miles (130,000 km). Each of the bridge's two towers has approximately 600,000 rivets . In the 1960s, when the Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART) was being planned, the engineering community had conflicting opinions about the feasibility of running train tracks north to Marin County over the bridge. In June 1961, consultants hired by BART completed a study that determined
885-430: Is officially an orange vermilion called international orange . The color was selected by consulting architect Irving Morrow because it complements the natural surroundings and enhances the bridge's visibility in fog. The bridge was originally painted with red lead primer and a lead-based topcoat, which was touched up as required. In the mid-1960s, a program was started to improve corrosion protection by stripping
944-414: Is split with three lanes in each direction. From 1968 to 2015, opposing traffic was separated by small, plastic pylons ; during that time, there were 16 fatalities resulting from 128 head-on collisions. To improve safety, the speed limit on the Golden Gate Bridge was reduced from 50 to 45 mph (80 to 72 km/h) on October 1, 1983. Although there had been discussion concerning the installation of
1003-536: The University of Cincinnati , he placed a brick from his alma mater's demolished McMicken Hall in the south anchorage before the concrete was poured. Strauss also innovated the use of movable safety netting beneath the men working, which saved many lives. Nineteen men saved by the nets over the course of the project formed the Half Way to Hell Club . Nonetheless, eleven men were killed in falls, ten on February 17, 1937, when
1062-483: The Depression, continued working 70 hours per week on an unpaid basis, eventually turning in ten volumes of hand calculations. With an eye toward self-promotion and posterity, Strauss downplayed the contributions of his collaborators who, despite receiving little recognition or compensation, are largely responsible for the final form of the bridge. He succeeded in having himself credited as the person most responsible for
1121-573: The Golden Gate ," was chosen to commemorate the event. Strauss wrote a poem that is now on the Golden Gate Bridge entitled "The Mighty Task is Done." The next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pushed a button in Washington, D.C. signaling the official start of vehicle traffic over the Bridge at noon. Weeks of civil and cultural activities called "the Fiesta" followed. A statue of Strauss was moved in 1955 to
1180-707: The Golden Gate Bridge had the longest suspension bridge main span in the world, at 4,200 feet (1,280 m). Since 1964 its main span length has been surpassed by eighteen bridges ; it now has the second-longest main span in the Americas , after the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in New York City. The total length of the Golden Gate Bridge from abutment to abutment is 8,981 feet (2,737 m). The Golden Gate Bridge's clearance above high water averages 220 feet (67 m) while its towers, at 746 feet (227 m) above
1239-591: The Marin Headlands Express bus line, but this was indefinitely suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The Marin Airporter, a private company, also offers service across the bridge between Marin County and San Francisco International Airport . A visitor center and gift shop, originally called the "Bridge Pavilion" (since renamed the "Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center"), is located on the San Francisco side of
SECTION 20
#17330860543521298-477: The San Francisco Evening Bulletin from the estate of Loring Pickering . Fremont Older became editor-in-chief in 1895, at a time when the newspaper had diminished in influence, and he built it up by again attacking corruption. He was forced to step down in 1918, and in 1929 the newspaper was bought by William Randolph Hearst , who merged it with The San Francisco Call . This article about
1357-693: The Sausalito Land and Ferry Company opened. In 1920, the service was taken over by the Golden Gate Ferry Company , which merged in 1929 with the ferry system of the Southern Pacific Railroad , becoming the Southern Pacific-Golden Gate Ferries, Ltd., the largest ferry operation in the world. Once for railroad passengers and customers only, Southern Pacific's automobile ferries became very profitable and important to
1416-626: The U.S. city of San Francisco , California —the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula —to Marin County , carrying both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 across the strait. It also carries pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and is designated as part of U.S. Bicycle Route 95 . Recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Wonders of the Modern World ,
1475-403: The bridge are homes to varieties of wildlife such as bobcats , harbor seals, and sea lions. Three species of cetaceans (whales) that had been absent in the area for many years have shown recent recoveries/(re)colonizations in the vicinity of the bridge; researchers studying them have encouraged stronger protections and recommended that the public watch them from the bridge or from land, or use
1534-673: The bridge as part of the concurrency between U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 . Although part of the National Highway System , the bridge is not officially part of California's Highway System . For example, under the California Streets and Highways Code § 401 , Route 101 ends at "the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge" and then resumes at "a point in Marin County opposite San Francisco". The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District has jurisdiction over
1593-484: The bridge is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco and California. The idea of a fixed link between San Francisco and Marin had gained increasing popularity during the late 19th century, but it was not until the early 20th century that such a link became feasible. Joseph Strauss served as chief engineer for the project, with Leon Moisseiff , Irving Morrow and Charles Ellis making significant contributions to its design. The bridge opened to
1652-443: The bridge to flatten out under the weight. Although the bridge is designed to flex in that way under heavy loads, and was estimated not to have exceeded 40% of the yielding stress of the suspension cables, bridge officials stated that uncontrolled pedestrian access was not being considered as part of the 75th anniversary on Sunday, May 27, 2012, because of the additional law enforcement costs required "since 9/11. " Until 1964,
1711-506: The bridge was not advisable. Aesthetics was the foremost reason why the first design of Joseph Strauss was rejected. Upon re-submission of his bridge construction plan, he added details, such as lighting, to outline the bridge's cables and towers. In 1999, it was ranked fifth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects . The color of the bridge
1770-498: The bridge's southern anchorage. Ellis was a Greek scholar and mathematician who at one time was a University of Illinois professor of engineering despite having no engineering degree. He eventually earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois prior to designing the Golden Gate Bridge and spent the last twelve years of his career as a professor at Purdue University. He became an expert in structural design, writing
1829-486: The bridge's suspension section was capable of supporting service on a new lower deck. In July 1961, one of the bridge's consulting engineers, Clifford Paine, disagreed with their conclusion. In January 1962, due to more conflicting reports on feasibility, the bridge's board of directors appointed an engineering review board to analyze all the reports. The review board's report, released in April 1962, concluded that running BART on
Golden Gate Bridge in popular culture - Misplaced Pages Continue
1888-550: The bridge, adjacent to the southeast parking lot. It opened in 2012, in time for the bridge's 75th-anniversary celebration. A cafe, outdoor exhibits, and restroom facilities are located nearby. On the Marin side of the bridge, only accessible from the northbound lanes, is the H. Dana Bower Rest Area and Vista Point, named after the first landscape architect for the California Division of Highways. Lands and waters under and around
1947-466: The channel, and frequent strong winds. Experts said that ferocious winds and blinding fogs would prevent construction and operation. Although the idea of a bridge spanning the Golden Gate was not new, the proposal that eventually took hold was made in a 1916 San Francisco Bulletin article by former engineering student James Wilkins. San Francisco's City Engineer estimated the cost at $ 100 million (equivalent to $ 2.8 billion in 2023), and impractical for
2006-482: The design and vision of the bridge. Only much later were the contributions of the others on the design team properly appreciated. In May 2007, the Golden Gate Bridge District issued a formal report on 70 years of stewardship of the famous bridge and decided to give Ellis major credit for the design of the bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District, authorized by an act of the California Legislature ,
2065-408: The eastern walkway. Bus service across the bridge is provided by one public transportation agency, Golden Gate Transit , which runs numerous bus lines throughout the week. The southern end of the bridge, near the toll plaza and parking lot, is also accessible daily from 5:30 a.m. to midnight by San Francisco Muni line 28. Muni formerly offered Saturday and Sunday service across the bridge on
2124-466: The engineering and architecture fell on other experts. Strauss's initial design proposal (two double cantilever spans linked by a central suspension segment) was unacceptable from a visual standpoint. The final suspension design was conceived and championed by Leon Moisseiff , the engineer of the Manhattan Bridge in New York City. Irving Morrow, a relatively unknown residential architect, designed
2183-533: The following movies. It has also been featured in the opening/closing and/or episodes of the following shows. It has been the subject of a 2006 documentary and a 2008-2010 documentary TV series: Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate , the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean . The structure links
2242-411: The major contributors to the Golden Gate Bridge lists contractors, engineering-staff, directors and officers: Contractors Engineering staff Directors Officers On December 1, 1951, a windstorm revealed swaying and rolling instabilities of the bridge, resulting in its closure. In 1953 and 1954, the bridge was retrofitted with lateral and diagonal bracing that connected the lower chords of
2301-411: The original paint and repainting the bridge with zinc silicate primer and vinyl topcoats. Since 1990, acrylic topcoats have been used instead for air-quality reasons. The program was completed in 1995 and it is now maintained by 38 painters who touch up the paintwork where it becomes seriously corroded. The ongoing maintenance task of painting the bridge is continuous. Most maps and signage mark
2360-515: The overall shape of the bridge towers, the lighting scheme, and Art Deco elements, such as the tower decorations, streetlights, railing, and walkways. The famous International Orange color was Morrow's personal selection, winning out over other possibilities, including the US Navy's suggestion that it be painted with black and yellow stripes to ensure visibility by passing ships. Senior engineer Charles Alton Ellis, collaborating remotely with Moisseiff,
2419-491: The public in 1937 and has undergone various retrofits and other improvement projects in the decades since. The Golden Gate Bridge is described in Frommer's travel guide as "possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world." At the time of its opening in 1937, it was both the longest and the tallest suspension bridge in the world, titles it held until 1964 and 1998 respectively. Its main span
Golden Gate Bridge in popular culture - Misplaced Pages Continue
2478-551: The regional economy. The ferry crossing between the Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco and Sausalito Ferry Terminal in Marin County took approximately 20 minutes and cost $ 1.00 per vehicle prior to 1937, when the price was reduced to compete with the new bridge. The trip from the San Francisco Ferry Building took 27 minutes. Many wanted to build a bridge to connect San Francisco to Marin County. San Francisco
2537-422: The regular toll rate for passenger cars is $ 9.50, with FasTrak users paying a discounted toll of $ 9.25. During peak traffic hours, carpool vehicles carrying three or more people, or motorcycles may pay a discounted toll of $ 7.25 if they have FasTrak and use the designated carpool lane. Drivers must pay within 48 hours after crossing the bridge or they will be sent a toll violation invoice. The toll violation penalty
2596-415: The remaining daylight hours (until 6:00 p.m., or 9:00 p.m. during DST ). The eastern walkway is reserved for pedestrians on weekends (5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., or 9:00 p.m. during DST), and is open exclusively to bicyclists in the evening and overnight, when it is closed to pedestrians. The western walkway is open only for bicyclists and only during the hours when they are not allowed on
2655-507: The segment of highway that crosses the bridge instead of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The movable median barrier between the lanes is moved several times daily to conform to traffic patterns. On weekday mornings, traffic flows mostly southbound into the city, so four of the six lanes run southbound. Conversely, on weekday afternoons, four lanes run northbound. During off-peak periods and weekends, traffic
2714-421: The standard textbook of the time. Ellis did much of the technical and theoretical work that built the bridge, but he received none of the credit in his lifetime. In November 1931, Strauss fired Ellis and replaced him with a former subordinate, Clifford Paine, ostensibly for wasting too much money sending telegrams back and forth to Moisseiff. Ellis, obsessed with the project and unable to find work elsewhere during
2773-474: The time of approval was $ 27 million ($ 492 million today). However, the District was unable to sell the bonds until 1932, when Amadeo Giannini , the founder of San Francisco–based Bank of America , agreed on behalf of his bank to buy the entire issue in order to help the local economy. Construction began on January 5, 1933. The project cost more than $ 35 million ($ 610 million in 2023 dollars ), and
2832-484: The time. He asked bridge engineers whether it could be built for less. One who responded, Joseph Strauss, was an ambitious engineer and poet who had, for his graduate thesis , designed a 55-mile-long (89 km) railroad bridge across the Bering Strait . At the time, Strauss had completed some 400 drawbridges —most of which were inland—and nothing on the scale of the new project. Strauss's initial drawings were for
2891-483: The two side trusses. This bracing stiffened the bridge deck in torsion so that it would better resist the types of twisting that had destroyed the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940. The original bridge used a concrete deck . Salt carried by fog or mist reached the rebar , causing corrosion and concrete spalling . From 1982 to 1986, the original bridge deck, in 747 sections, was systematically replaced with
2950-564: The water, were the world's tallest on a suspension bridge until 1993 when it was surpassed by the Mezcala Bridge , in Mexico. The weight of the roadway is hung from 250 pairs of vertical suspender ropes, which are attached to two main cables . The main cables pass over the two main towers and are fixed in concrete at each end. Each cable is made of 27,572 strands of wire. The total length of galvanized steel wire used to fabricate both main cables
3009-498: The years as a starting point for various commercial tours of the bridge and an unofficial gift shop. The diner was renovated in 2012 and the gift shop was then removed as a new, official gift shop has been included in the adjacent plaza. During the bridge work, the Assistant Civil Engineer of California Alfred Finnila had overseen the entire iron work of the bridge as well as half of the bridge's road work. Plaque of
SECTION 50
#17330860543523068-469: The zipper trucks, cost approximately $ 30.3 million to purchase and install. The bridge carries about 112,000 vehicles per day according to the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District. The bridge is popular with pedestrians and bicyclists, and was built with walkways on either side of the six vehicle traffic lanes. Initially, they were separated from the traffic lanes by only
3127-474: Was allowed, 200,000 people crossed either on foot or on roller skates. On opening day, Mayor Angelo Rossi and other officials rode the ferry to Marin, then crossed the bridge in a motorcade past three ceremonial "barriers," the last a blockade of beauty queens who required Joseph Strauss to present the bridge to the Highway District before allowing him to pass. An official song, " There's a Silver Moon on
3186-546: Was completed ahead of schedule and $ 1.3 million under budget (equivalent to $ 28.9 million today). The Golden Gate Bridge construction project was carried out by the McClintic-Marshall Construction Co., a subsidiary of Bethlehem Steel Corporation founded by Howard H. McClintic and Charles D. Marshall, both of Lehigh University . Strauss remained head of the project, overseeing day-to-day construction and making some groundbreaking contributions. A graduate of
3245-476: Was concerned that the bridge would interfere with ship traffic. The US Navy feared that a ship collision or sabotage to the bridge could block the entrance to one of its main harbors. Unions demanded guarantees that local workers would be favored for construction jobs. Southern Pacific Railroad , one of the most powerful business interests in California, opposed the bridge as competition to its ferry fleet and filed
3304-529: Was incorporated in 1928 as the official entity to design, construct, and finance the Golden Gate Bridge. However, after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 , the District was unable to raise the construction funds, so it lobbied for a $ 30 million bond measure (equivalent to $ 532 million today). The bonds were approved in November 1930, by votes in the counties affected by the bridge. The construction budget at
3363-424: Was the fledgling automobile industry , which supported the development of roads and bridges to increase demand for automobiles. The bridge's name was first used when the project was initially discussed in 1917 by M.M. O'Shaughnessy , city engineer of San Francisco, and Strauss. The name became official with the passage of the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District Act by the state legislature in 1923, creating
3422-399: Was the largest American city still served primarily by ferry boats. Because it did not have a permanent link with communities around the bay, the city's growth rate was below the national average. Many experts said that a bridge could not be built across the 6,700-foot (2,000-metre) strait, which had strong, swirling tides and currents, with water 372 ft (113 m) deep at the center of
3481-411: Was the principal engineer of the project. Moisseiff produced the basic structural design, introducing his "deflection theory" by which a thin, flexible roadway would flex in the wind, greatly reducing stress by transmitting forces via suspension cables to the bridge towers. Although the Golden Gate Bridge design has proved sound, a later Moisseiff design, the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge , collapsed in
#351648