It was ‘the bridge that could not be built’ – and yet it was. After 4 years of construction, which was often hampered by icy winds, treacherous currents and thick fog, the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937. With its 2 towering supports and eye-catching reddish-orange colour, this magnificent bridge quickly came to symbolise San Francisco.
The Golden Gate Bridge spans the Golden Gate Strait and connects San Francisco and the Marin Headlands. In the past, the bay could only be crossed by ferry, which was a time-consuming affair. There was little funding to build the bridge, but engineer Joseph Strauss claimed he could build it for less money than estimated. He was given the go-ahead and may very well have built the world’s most beautiful and most photographed bridge.
“The 2 main cables that connect the bridge supports consist of approximately 129,000 kilometres of steel cable and took 6 months to produce”