Steel Structure Trivia: Golden Gate Bridge Turns 80

San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge turns 80 years old tomorrow (May 27)! This radiant California icon soars over the Golden Gate strait -- the entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. The bridge’s main suspension span was considered the longest in the world for 27 years until New York’s Verrazano Narrows Bridge took the title in 1964. Golden Gate’s main towers, suspended structure, anchorages and approaches account for the 83,000 tons of structural steel used for the project. The bridge received an NSBA Prize Bridge Award in 1937 (the year it was completed) and was also named an Industry Choice winner in NSBA’s America’s Favorite Bridges competition in 2010. (Photo: AISC)