The iconic Golden Gate Bridge celebrates 88 years

Today marks the beginning of one of America’s most iconic bridges, the Golden Gate Bridge.

In 1933, construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge and today, it is one of the most traveled bridges in the world and one of the most iconic.

I keep using the word iconic but the reality is, the Golden Gate Bridge is exactly that. Like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the London Eye or the Sydney Opera House, the Golden Gate is recognizable around the globe.

Construction began on this day 88 years ago when construction workers began removing earth for the bridges anchor structures. The bridge wouldn’t open to the public however until 1937 a full four years after construction began.

The bridge sits at the mouth of San Francisco Bay and at the time was the largest suspension bridge in the world. It clears 4,000 feet and rises above a 400 foot straight at the mouth of the bay.

Golden Gate is one of the most photographed bridges in all of the United States. It connects San Francisco to lower Marin County which allows a more direct path to Northern California and is part of the scenic Route 1 that runs from the north to the south along the coast of California.

The idea of the bridge was conceived shortly after the gold rush in the late 1800s but it wasn’t until 1916 that the city of San Francisco began to plan and look at the budget. In 1929, the Great Depression shelved those ideas but the idea began to pick up in the early 1930s because of the jobs,  construction would create.

The bridge was opened in May of 1937 and more than 200,000 people crossed the bridge on foot during the opening ceremony.