RON HENGGELER

January 12, 2009
Monday in the Headlands

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE
Opened in 1937, the 4,200-foot suspension bridge was the longest in the world until 1959. The bridge is designed to sway 27 feet from east to west in a high wind or earthquake. It took four-and-a-half years and $35 million to build; in 1991, according to one estimate, it would cost $1.25 billion to re-construct. The 746-foot towers of the Golden Gate Bridge were the world’s tallest until 1997, when they were exceeded by a bridge in Denmark. The clearance between the roadbed and the water is 260 feet, a distance set by the military to allow ships to pass underneath. Over 2000 lawsuits were filed in an attempt to prevent the bridge from being built. One of the first obstacles was winning the approval of the War department. The military feared an enemy might bomb the bridge, which would block the harbor and the naval ships anchored there. The War department granted permission for the bridge in exchange for control of the structure in time of war and for allowing government vehicles to cross free of charge.
From SAN FRANCISCO SECRETS by John Snyder Chronicle Books 1999

Reflection of St. Ignatius on Fulton Street

Full moon and City Hall from my window

Photographers in the Marin Headlands

The Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco as seen from Battery Spencer in the Marin Headlands

The north tower of Golden Gate Bridge as seen from Battery Spencer in the Marin Headlands

The Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco as seen from Battery Spencer in the Marin Headlands

 

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