2345 - San Francisco, California, USA

David sent me a great sparkly photo of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The clouds and the rainbow sparkle. 

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most recognizable features of San Francisco and of California. The American
Society of Civil Engineers named it one of the Wonders of the Modern World.

Construction began on 5 January 1933, and was completed and opened on 27 May 1937. The project cost US$35 million (US$523 million in 2019 dollars). When opened it became the longest (1280m) and tallest (227m) suspension bridge in the world.

The bridge used movable safety nets for the largely unprotected iron workers. Eleven men died from falls during construction - ten on one day. On 17 February 1937, twelve men fell when the safety net failed under the stress of a scaffold that had fallen with men on it. Two of the men survived the fall into San Francisco Bay, including foreman Slim Lambert.

Nineteen men were saved by the safety net during constructions and they started their own club - The Half Way to Hell Club. The last surviving member was Al Zampa, who died at the age of 95 in 2000.

The bridge is also a popular place to commit suicide. It is estimated that more than 1500 people have jumped the 75 meters above the water to the San Francisco Bay. Most jumpers die on impact, but those who do survive either drown or die of hypothermia from the cold water of the bay. Construction of a suicide prevention net is expected to be completed by 2023. 

The bridge has only closed three times due to weather:

• 1 Dec 1957 (111 kmh winds)
• 23 Dec 1982 (113 kmh winds)
• 3 Dec 1983 (121 kmh winds).

A retrofit on the pedestrian railing have made the bridge more aerodynamic and less affected by wind. 

The Golden Gate Bridge has been a toll bridge from the start. Today only southbound traffic has to pay a toll of US$8.35 (US$5.35 for carpoolers during peak times). License plates are scanned instead of drivers having to stop at a toll booth.