Thursday, May 22, 2008, 11:00
Westbound via US-101, departing on Lombard Street to our next stop which is located a dozen kilometers. Some beautiful pictures are yet to be realized, although I'm sure you already know. We're fortunate today, the sun is in the game, the weather is very clear, there are no clouds. It is even very good this morning.
before yesterday, we could admire it from below . But we could not leave San Francisco without going over. I named the bridge, the famous Golden Gate Bridge, the universal symbol of the city. Similarly, one can not imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower or New York without the Statue Freedom.
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| The Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco side, the universal symbol of the city |
The Bridge on the Golden Gate is internationally recognized is the most photographed bridges. It is thus part of the seven wonders of the modern world, the list established by the American Society of Civil Engineers, dedicating the monuments of the twentieth th century. But as with our famous Tower or the Statue of Liberty, if it is part of the list of proposals for new wonders of the world, he was not elected among the Sept. There is certainly controversy about this, and my goal here is not to enter into this controversy. Never mind, we must recognize that this book is truly majestic and impressive.
After crossing, we stopped at Vista Point North. The view is stunning of course as the bridge over the bay of San Francisco.
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| The toll bridge is used by more than 40 million vehicles a year to San Francisco |
We have thirty minutes ahead of us to admire the landscape extensively photographed (hint, by the way, plan for large photos) and enjoy these last moments on American soil. During this time, I'll give you some technical details on this technological marvel.
The mouth of the bay, originally named Chrysopylae (Golden Gate in Greek) by Captain John C. Fremont, in 1846, gives its name to the bridge that connects the northern tip of the peninsula from San Francisco to the city of Sausalito on the opposite shore. It is open to highway traffic, but also cyclists and pedestrians. Remember that pay for the return drive.
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| The city view from Golden Gate Vista Point |
The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest span in the world since its completion until the Verrazano Narrows Bridge was built in New York in 1964. Today, it remains the seventh longest main span in the world.
I tell you a few figures of the Golden Gate Bridge to illustrate its size:
- Total length, including access to: 2737 meters.
- length apron Central: 1966 meters.
- Width: 27 feet, six lanes and two sidewalks.
- Clearance above water: 67 meters.
- Total weight during construction: 894 500 tons.
- Total weight today: 887 000 tons, reduced weight due to new hardware platforms.
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| Each tower exceeds 152 meters above the floor, the bridge is 67 meters of water level |
- Pylons:
¤ 227 meters above the water.
¤ 152 meters above the floor. ¤
Each foot is 10 x 16 meters. Each tower weighs
¤ 44 000 tonnes.
¤ There are about 600,000 rivets in each tower. Forgive me, I have not had time to check if the account was well.
- Steel:
¤ Made in New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania, and shipped through the Panama Canal. ¤
Total weight of steel: 83 000 tonnes.
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| On the Golden Gate Bridge is visible in the center island of Alcatraz and the Bay Bridge right, and a cables supporting the bridge, whose diameter around the meter. |
- Cables:
¤ The two main cables passing over the tops of the towers and are anchored in concrete at each end. Each cable consists of 92 strands of wire strands 27 572. There are 129 000 km of wire in the two main cables, and it took more than six months to weave. This is three times around the earth!
¤ Diameter of cable (including protection): 0.92 meters (almost a meter!). ¤
each cable length: 2332 meters.
- Lighting:
¤ 128 streetlights are installed on the bridge along the road. These are high pressure sodium lamps of 250 watts installed in 1972.
¤ 24 low-pressure sodium lights of 35 watts can be found on the sidewalks around every turn.
¤ 12 400 watt lights illuminate each tower and a 750 watt light air at the top of each tower.
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| Detailed structure of the bridge on the access side Sausalito |
- The orange vermilion paint, also called international orange was selected by architect Irving Morrow. This original painting was replaced in 1965 by a primer of inorganic zinc silicate and an acrylic emulsion. 38 painters work permanently on the bridge, and 17 ironworkers replace steel rivets corroded.
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| Bay Bridge, Coit Tower and Transamerica Pyramid seen from Vista Point |
- And finally, a few dates:
¤ 5 January 1933: start of construction by the engineer Joseph Baermann Strauss.
¤ May 27, 1937: the bridge is open to pedestrians.
¤ May 28, 1937: Bridge opens to automobiles.
¤ February 22, 1985: The billionth car crosses the bridge.
¤ May 28, 1987: the bridge is closed to vehicles for its fiftieth anniversary. From the outset, it was only closed three times due to weather, when wind gusts over 110 km / h. He also was closed briefly during the visits of Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Charles de Gaulle.
And I could tell you again and again.
But we have a plane to catch early in the afternoon. Noon coming, and it is already time to take the bus. Time passes too quickly ...
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Finally, in addition, I suggest you refer to the selection of sites:
- the very detailed article on Wikipedia
- technical details Struturae
- official site GoldenGate . org
- the site in English gocalifornia
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