The Golden Gate bridge is a suspension bridge that first opened in 1937. This bridge links the city of San Francisco to Marin County. This bridge is a big part of the culture of San Francisco, bringing tons of tourists to this U.S. city every year. (1)

An engineer named Joseph Strauss was the man in charge of the overall design of this bridge. Strauss initially wanted to create a bridge with a hybrid cantilever design but it was eventually shut down due to it being unacceptable from a visual standpoint. “The idea for a full suspension span – the design that was ultimately built – came later” (2). Leon S. Moiseff, a man who served on the board of consultants for the project, expressed his concern about the hybrid design of Strauss and proposed a new design being the simple suspension type of approach (3). As stated, eventually Strauss decides to move away from his original hybrid design and go with the simple suspension approach. “… In the interval which had elapsed any advantages possessed by the cantilever-suspension type bridge had practically disappeared and on recommendation of the Chief Engineer, the cantilever-suspension type was abandoned in favor of the simple suspension type,” stated Strauss (3).

In the 1950’s the bridge experience high winds that lashed and twisted the span, raising the fear of others that the bridge could collapse. This lead to crews having to install a bracing system for the bridge in order to ensure it wouldn’t collapse. Years later, the vertical cables of the bridge were replaced because they were corroded due to the bridges damp, foggy climate. The bridge is currently receiving a seismic upgrade. There are also plans for a moveable barrier on the bridge that would allow someone to separate north and southbound traffic as well as a net system is being built to prevent suicides. The golden gate bridge was once the largest suspension bridge in the world that has now turned into a huge american tourist spot. The bridge is amazing as is but is taking on changes to enhance its aesthetics and fix its flaws.

1- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge#Design

2- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/21/golden-gate-bridge-anniversary-engineers_n_1534457.html

3- http://goldengatebridge.org/research/Design.php