Angelika In May of this year, all of San Francisco celebrated the 75th birthday of the Golden Gate Bridge. Everyone knows and admires the world-famous bridge, which has not lost its charm even after 75 years and spans the entrance to the Golden Gate to connect San Francisco with Marin County to the north. There is nothing more beautiful than driving over the reddish shimmering bridge on a sunny day and enjoying the views of San Francisco and the boats in the bay. Or when the typical San Francisco fog magically envelops the bridge, leaving only the tops of the upper bridge towers visible. And back in the construction year of 1933, hardly anyone thought it possible to build a bridge exposed to such strong winds, currents, saltwater, fog, and earthquakes.
The birthday was duly celebrated. There were exhibitions, concerts, memorabilia, and, as the crowning event, a huge fireworks display. However, this time the event organizers did not close the bridge to car traffic to allow pedestrians to cross on the lanes usually reserved for cars, because during the 50th birthday celebration, this had led to such a rush of crowds that the bridge dangerously sagged in the middle.
Today, the Golden Gate Bridge is arguably the most famous landmark of the city, but when it was built, there were, as is typical in San Francisco, protests. The famous Californian photographer Ansel Adams initially turned up his nose and quickly photographed the San Francisco Bay one last time without the bridge. The environmental organization "Sierra Club" and the Golden Gate Ferry Company also protested against the construction project. Nevertheless, the Chicago bridge builder Joseph Strauss realized his dream and built what was then the longest suspension bridge in the world in four years for a modest 35 million dollars. However, the man was not very concerned with design, and the bridge would have become a rather clunky steel block according to his ideas. Thanks to Charles Ellis, who relied on the theories of the famous suspension bridge builder Leo Moisseff, he prevailed with his bridge design, as he was convinced that a more delicate architectural bridge would also withstand the weather conditions. Unfortunately, Strauss sidelined him because of this, and Ellis only gained late fame as one of the fathers of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The bridge was also supposed to be painted in black and yellow stripes according to the wishes of the Navy, but thankfully the rather reddish shimmering, so-called "International Orange" prevailed. There would probably be tumultuous uprisings in San Francisco if someone wanted to paint the bridge in a different color. However, the bridge constantly provides topics for conversation. It has been proposed to install nets under the bridge railing to prevent suicides from jumping to their deaths from the bridge. Just as the beauty of the bridge magically attracts tourists, unfortunately, those battered by life also feel drawn to the allure of the bridge. It leads the sad statistics as the place with the most suicides. About 1,500 people are said to have jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge. Although the nets that could prevent jumping have now been decided upon, there is a lack of 45 million dollars to install them. Currently, crisis phones are therefore available on the bridge. And if someone behaves strangely on the bridge, crisis helpers rush to the scene on bicycles. The recommended documentary "The Bridge" by Eric Steel sheds light on the eerie events behind the scenes.
By the way, the rumor still persists that tourists are allowed to climb up the bridge pillars as part of a tour to look down from the bridge. That is not true, because otherwise, we would have done it long ago! However, we often drive over it; by the way, the bridge toll is now 6 dollars, and with the toll transponder "Fastrak" ( Rundbrief 04/2006 Translation: "5 dollars. It is only collected in one direction, namely when entering the city from the north. Pedestrians and cyclists can cross for free. At night, the bridge is closed to pedestrians. Cyclists are only allowed to ride on the side footpaths over the bridge (not on the road), but they can do so 24 hours a day. Website withthe bridge rules The translation to English is: "provides further details, such as that, for example, no dogs, skateboards, roller blades, or e-bikes in power-on mode are allowed on the sidewalks.