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    The Golden Gate Bridge: A modern marvel

    By | December 25, 2007

    The Golden Gate Bridge is the one thing that has been made synonymous with San Francisco and even the whole of California by movies and television serials. The bridge is a suspension bridge and one of the marvels of modern architecture. The bridge spans the area from the opening of the Golden Gate to the Pacific Ocean and it is a part of the U.S Highway 101 and State Route 1. When it was constructed in 1937 it was the longest suspension bridge to have ever been made.

    The chief engineer was one Joseph Strauss who believed that the bridge could be constructed at a cost of $ 17 million while the original estimate was $ 100 million. While he was in charge of the project since he did not have much knowledge about cable suspension and how it worked, the work was mainly done by other architects and engineers while Strauss overlooked. It was eventually finished 25 years after its initial conception by an engineering student named James Wilkins at a cost of a shade over $ 27 million, $ 10 million more than what Strauss promised and at 1/4th of the original cost estimated by Wilkins. Before the bridge was constructed the only means of transport was ferry and thus the bridge was a much needed mode of getting across the ocean.

    The Golden Gate Bridge sees an average of 1,00,000 vehicles everyday and is rather infamous for the number of accidents especially head-on collisions that occur on it. It is also the spot most frequently picked by people contemplating suicide and by 2005 one such incident occurred every two weeks on an average. The bridge is a perfect mixture of a architectural site which still is being used unlike most that have lost their significance to mankind and remain mere reminders of past glory.

    Topics: Golden Gate Bridge |

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