Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco

Quite possibly one of the most famous bridges in theThe orange bridge, yes orange, is considered red,
world, the Golden Gate Bridge is by far the mostdespite it's real color orange vermilion. Also called
recognizable icon of San Francisco. Spanning over the"international orange" this color was chosen by an
San Francisco Bay, connecting the northern tip of theassistant architect for two reasons: 1) it blended in
San Francisco peninsula to a portion of the southnicely with the surrounding warm hues of the
facing headlands of Marin County by Sausalito. Whenlandscape amidst the cool hues of the bay and the
the Golden Gate bridge was completed in 1937, it wassky 2) it was a bold color to help with visibility for ships
the largest suspension bridge in the world. It nowbelow.
stands in the number 2 position, behind theStrauss and his crew began the construction of the
Veranzo-Narrows bridge in New York City..bridge in January 1933, and took just over four years
The Golden Gate Bridge stands as a testament to theto complete. Eleven men lost their lives in the
human spirit and will. Due to the persistent fog, violentcontruction. Only one death had occured February 17,
winds, and strong ocean currents below, the Golden1937; when a scaffolding accident claimed the life of
Gate has been called the "Bridge that couldn't be built."ten men all in one day. The cost to build the bridge
This San Francisco icon is now considered anwas over 35 million dollars. In today's world, the bridge
engineering marvel of the 20th century.would cost approximately 1.2 billion dollars to construct.
The need for the bridge came about as the only otherThe bridge opened to vehicular traffic on May 28, 1937.
way to reach travel through the Golden Gate Strait,Today the bridge stands stall in the San Francisco Bay
was by ferry. Engineer and bridge-builder Josephand is a favorite tourist attraction for millions of people
Strauss recognized the need for a bridge as ferryevery year.
congestion became an increasing problem.