BONGCAYAO, RHEA MAE B.

BSCE 1D

Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is
located near San Francisco,
California, and connects the city to
other parts of Marin County,
California. The suspension bridge
spans over the Golden Gate Strait
through two large steel support
towers and two long cable spans. The
suspension bridge consists of two
towers, a deck, cables, anchorage,
and piers. The towers hold the cables of the bridge that support the deck and
transfer the weight of the bridge to the towers. The cables form a U-shaped curve and
are made of 27,572 individual pieces of steel wires. Gravity pulls the deck, creating a
tension force in the main cable to resist this load.

The original Golden Gate Bridge collapsed during an earthquake in 1906,

which was later determined to be caused by exposure to winds and long-term
deterioration. The Golden Gate Bridge is about 9,000 feet long (nearly two miles) and
is one of the most iconic bridges in the United States. The building of the Golden
Gate Bridge began on January 5, 1933 under the supervision of chief engineer
Joseph B. Strauss. He was assisted by Charles Ellis and Irving Morrow.

The bridge was opened to the

public on 27 May, 1937, and was
celebrated as Pedestrian Day with
more than 200,000 people crossing
over it. A similar gathering of around
300,000 people was observed to
mark the 50th anniversary of the
bridge that unfortunately led to a
deflection in the middle portion by 7 feet, thereby flattening the iconic arch of the
bridge. Acclaimed as one of the world's most beautiful bridges, there are many
different elements to the Golden Gate Bridge that make it unique. With its
tremendous towers, sweeping cables, and great span, the Bridge is a sensory beauty
and engineering wonder featuring color, sound and light. The bridge is one of the
most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco and California.