The Golden Gate Bridge: Behind the Construction
As commonly known, the Golden Gate Bridge, which connects San Francisco and Marin County, is one of the longest suspension bridges in the United States. The Golden Gate Bridge started construction in 1933 and was completed in 1937, meaning the entire construction of the bridge took four years. So, how was this infamous bridge created? Well, to first understand how the Golden Gate was constructed, we have to know how suspension bridges work.
Suspension bridges are bridges that have platforms that are hung up by vertical cables, which are called suspenders. There are more cables throughout the bridge that hold up the suspenders into the ground. The anchors that hold the suspenders are there to provide support to the cables due to the weight of the bridge. If one cable or suspender were to break, the entire bridge would collapse. Because of this, suspension bridges are not able to handle as much weight as other types of bridges. The actual construction of a suspension bridge also includes caissons (watertight chambers used as the foundation of the bridge). From the caissons, towers are built from steel or concrete. Concrete blocks would surround the bottom of the towers as support and project. The cables then are put into place by ships and cranes attach them to the top of the towers. After that, the suspenders are placed to hold the deck of the bridge. Once concrete is poured across on the deck to make the path, the bridge is now complete!
The Golden Gate Bridge itself was made of 27,000 individual cables that were twisted together. These cables made up part of the 80,000 wires that were used in the construction of the bridge. A major issue with the construction was the underwater construction due to the rowdy waters the Golden Gate Strait. Divers were very dependent on how powerful the currents were, which were, most of the time, very strong.
Despite these setbacks, the bridge was successfully built and went on to be one of the most iconic and beautiful bridges in the world. If you are ever in San Francisco, make sure to visit the Golden Gate Bridge.
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