February 9, 2007

Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge

Longtime residents join the tourists

By Donna H. Eliason
Staff Writer

During our 30-plus years living in San Jose, we’ve driven over but never walked along the Golden Gate Bridge.

After talking with other longtime residents, I realize this isn’t uncommon. People come from all over the world to see and walk on this most picturesque and photographed symbol of San Francisco and the Bay Area. Knowing we could walk it “anytime” meant it didn’t happen, until one September Saturday, when we decided this was our bridge-walking day.

After driving up highway 101 through San Francisco, we had two choices of well-marked vista exits: in San Francisco just before the tollbooth, and Alexander Street on the Marin side. For no particular reason, we chose the Alexander Street exit. Both have parking areas with awesome views and easy pedestrian passage to the bridge.

We read the bridge signs indicating pedestrians can walk from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the summer, but only from to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the winter. We joined handholding couples, families with excited children, and small tourist groups. Even though there was room for cyclists along the l0.5-foot wide sidewalk, pedestrians have priority on the side facing San Francisco. Most cyclists rode on the side facing the ocean.

Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge is a popular tourist activity for many. The bridge weighs approximately 887,7000 tons and the central span is 746 feet above the ocean. Photos by Donna H. Eliason

Clear skies give incredible panoramic view of the bay
It’s estimated that 120,000 cars cross this six-lane bridge daily, with about 600 per hour at each tollbooth. At the beginning of the walk, the noise from these passing cars seemed overpowering until we became absorbed with the incredible views from the bridge. Clear skies meant we could savor the panoramic view of San Francisco, Berkeley and Marin. We watched several kayaks, ferries from Fisherman’s Wharf and vessels passing beneath the bridge. Numerous miniature sailboats spotted the waters around Angel Island and Alcatraz. Relatives warned us to wear a warm jacket and hat because of the winds, but the balmy day made these unnecessary.

When we’ve driven across the l ¾-mile bridge (excluding the entrances) we glimpse this beauty quickly. Now we savored the breathtaking view and thought about this incredible engineering feat. At the central span, we were 746 feet above the ocean. This, added to the 46 feet above to the top of the towers, was equal to a 60-plus story building. I’m not afraid of heights, but I had a hard time imaging people working on the upper cables without being frozen with fear.

Men fell to their deaths until safety nets were installed
Evidently during the beginning construction stages, safety nets weren’t installed, so 23 men fell to their deaths. Later, when there were safety nets, not only were 10 men caught, but work productivity also rose 25 percent.

The $30 million bridge bond to build the Golden Gate Bridge passed during the Depression, yet some people complained the bridge would ruin their ocean view. Others believed constructing a bridge there was impossible because of the fog, strong currents, water depth and high winds. To ensure equal weight balance, construction began at both ends. Critics complained it looked like “two grotesque beetles emerging from either bank.” The approximately 887,700-ton bridge is built to withstand l00 mile-per-hour winds. However, in l987 when 200,000 people gathered to celebrate the bridge’s 50th anniversary, the central span dropped by 10 feet.

President Roosevelt announces bridge opening by telegraph
Fortunately, the bridge opened for pedestrians in May of 1937, followed by cars on May 28, l938. President Franklin D. Roosevelt used a telegraph to tell the world about the bridge opening. Church bells, sirens and jubilant people celebrated this occasion.

The bridge is named for its location rather than its color. Explorer John Fremont is credited with calling this area Golden Gate in his l840’s journals. Many people are surprised to see reddish orange, which is officially called international orange, rather than a golden color. This color was chosen because it’s the easiest one to see on foggy days. The original paint lasted 27 years with some touchups, but after l965, workers replaced the old paint with a more durable paint.

Some tourists from New York and Virginia couldn’t believe we were frequent drivers, and not walkers over this bridge. They said, “Walking across the bridge was the best part of our vacation.”

At least this day, we joined the travelers and vacationers in enjoying the breathtaking beauty of the Golden Gate Bridge “right in our own backyard.” It took us over an hour to take bridge pictures from every angle and to enjoy the approximate 3.5-mile round trip walk. Even though we waited many years for this adventure, we knew we’d be back again soon for this must-do excursion.

Sources: Fodor’s San Francisco 25 Best by Mick Sinclair, and Eyewitness Travel San Francisco and Northern California 2006