Golden Gate Bridge Fast Facts

CNN Library

Updated 1631 GMT (0031 HKT) July 17, 2019

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

The Golden Gate Bridge, which spans the San Francisco Bay and connects the city to its northern suburbs, is one of the world's most famous structures. Its construction 78 years ago over a deep, treacherous channel was a marvel of modern engineering. In this photo, pedestrians walk across the bridge on May 27, 1937 -- one day before it opened to vehicular traffic. Click through to see other photos of the bridge's construction and grand opening.
Photos: The grand opening of the Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge, which spans the San Francisco Bay and connects the city to its northern suburbs, is one of the world's most famous structures. Its construction 78 years ago over a deep, treacherous channel was a marvel of modern engineering. In this photo, pedestrians walk across the bridge on May 27, 1937 -- one day before it opened to vehicular traffic. Click through to see other photos of the bridge's construction and grand opening.
Hide Caption
1 of 12
This aerial image from 1934 shows downtown San Francisco and construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. The bridge's north Marin Tower is nearly completed, although the southern one had yet to be erected.
Photos: The grand opening of the Golden Gate Bridge
This aerial image from 1934 shows downtown San Francisco and construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. The bridge's north Marin Tower is nearly completed, although the southern one had yet to be erected.
Hide Caption
2 of 12
Bridge workers build a catwalk that connects the towers at both sides of the strait so they can attach the suspension cables to hold up the bridge. Workers on the bridge were buffeted by high winds and faced constant fears of plummeting to their deaths.
Photos: The grand opening of the Golden Gate Bridge
Bridge workers build a catwalk that connects the towers at both sides of the strait so they can attach the suspension cables to hold up the bridge. Workers on the bridge were buffeted by high winds and faced constant fears of plummeting to their deaths.
Hide Caption
3 of 12
Workers in 1935 install the first section of a huge safety net, at a cost of $98,000, that extended beneath the bridge from shore to shore. The netting was added to catch workers who tumbled off their precarious steel perches above.
Photos: The grand opening of the Golden Gate Bridge
Workers in 1935 install the first section of a huge safety net, at a cost of $98,000, that extended beneath the bridge from shore to shore. The netting was added to catch workers who tumbled off their precarious steel perches above.
Hide Caption
4 of 12
This portrait shows members of the bridge's "Halfway to Hell Club" -- workers who had tumbled off the bridge but were saved by the safety netting below. Despite the netting, 11 workers died during the bridge's construction. Ten of them perished when a section of scaffold fell through the netting.
Photos: The grand opening of the Golden Gate Bridge
This portrait shows members of the bridge's "Halfway to Hell Club" -- workers who had tumbled off the bridge but were saved by the safety netting below. Despite the netting, 11 workers died during the bridge's construction. Ten of them perished when a section of scaffold fell through the netting.
Hide Caption
5 of 12
Fishermen on Baker Beach enjoy the view of the Golden Gate Bridge under construction. Work on the bridge began on January 5, 1933, and lasted four years and four months. The span is painted a distinctive color named "international orange."
Photos: The grand opening of the Golden Gate Bridge
Fishermen on Baker Beach enjoy the view of the Golden Gate Bridge under construction. Work on the bridge began on January 5, 1933, and lasted four years and four months. The span is painted a distinctive color named "international orange."
Hide Caption
6 of 12
Two workmen add the last strands to one of the two enormous cables that run between the towers and support the six-lane highway below. Construction of the bridge cost $35 million; engineers estimate that if it was built today, the bridge would cost more than $1.3 billion.
Photos: The grand opening of the Golden Gate Bridge
Two workmen add the last strands to one of the two enormous cables that run between the towers and support the six-lane highway below. Construction of the bridge cost $35 million; engineers estimate that if it was built today, the bridge would cost more than $1.3 billion.
Hide Caption
7 of 12
Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra soars over the Golden Gate Bridge on March 19, 1937, during her first, aborted attempt at a round-the-world flight. Almost four months later, Earhart disappeared over the Pacific on her second attempt and was never seen again. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/21/travel/gallery/tbt-amelia-earhart-crosses-atlantic/index.html" target="_blank">#tbt: Amelia Earhart crosses the Atlantic </a>
Photos: The grand opening of the Golden Gate Bridge
Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra soars over the Golden Gate Bridge on March 19, 1937, during her first, aborted attempt at a round-the-world flight. Almost four months later, Earhart disappeared over the Pacific on her second attempt and was never seen again. #tbt: Amelia Earhart crosses the Atlantic
Hide Caption
8 of 12