![]() But no one wants to take a chance with the damage large ships could do to the bridge. Of course, it’s a backup: Ships have their own GPS systems, and specially trained local ship’s pilots direct the large container ships through the strait. With a range of up to six miles, it’s activated when it’s too foggy for ships’ crews to see the bridge. It’s the bridge’s unique ring tone, created by four fog horns using 80 pounds of air pressure to blast 165 decibels of sound. What’s that sound I hear on a foggy day?Īaron Kozlowski, chief opperating engineer at the Golden Gate Bridge Channon Hodge/CNN “The lead paint was a good paint as far as holding up in integrity of the paint.”ħ. “There are certain parts of the bridge that still have lead paint on them that don’t need to be painted yet,” said Bauer. It depends on which part of the bridge is being painted and how exposed it is to the elements. (It can take months, depending on the size of the area.)įor the most part, however, “we’re hoping to get 25, 30 years of life out of this paint job,” said Bauer. Then they prime the area to a thickness of 10 milliliters, followed by an intermediate coat and two top coats. That’s when the painters start sandblasting the area to be painted to remove all of the old paint. The areas also keep contaminants getting outside to the public, which are sometimes traveling just a few feet from the job site. They create containment areas for painters to change into and out of their protective gear. Then the bridge’s ironworkers will rig up scaffolding to create the job site. Once a work plan is developed from those inspections, the painters know where they’ll paint next. “That creates a work plan for where we need to do painting” and other maintenance work required to keep the bridge in good working condition. Channon Hodge/CNNĮvery two years, the bridge’s engineers conduct an inspection of every inch of the bridge, Cosulich-Schwartz said. The bridge area being painted is sectioned off. However, there are ares that haven’t been stripped to bare metal and completely repainted, said Bauer. ![]() It’s true that the top coat has been fully repainted over time with new and environmentally-improved International Orange top coats. Does the bridge get entirely painted every year? “You can paint whatever you like International Orange.”Ĥ. “Download the color matrix or scheme, and actually go to your paint shop and have them mix it for you,” says Cosulich-Schwartz. Copy the paint formula listed on the bridge’s website – it’s free! – and take it to your local paint store. “They’re all, ‘Can you put some paint on me?’”ĭo you really want to? We can’t predict your family’s reaction to International Orange – never mind the neighbors – but yes, you can. “When we’re working on this side people will want us to paint their shoes, or their jackets,” said Russell. They ended up mixing paint to create the color International Orange, which is similar to the color of red lead, he said. The husband-and-wife architect team of Irving and Gertrude Morrow liked that color against the landscape here, Bauer said. Visitors “all call it red,” said Russell.īack in the day, the US Navy, then part of the War Department, oversaw the waterways and wanted to paint this bridge black and yellow for high visibility, like a bumblebee, said fellow painter Jarrod Bauer.Īs the bridge was being erected in the 1930s, the steel brought to construct the bridge had a coat of red lead on it. It’s not red, although you’re not crazy to think so. Why is it called the Golden Gate Bridge? It’s not golden. I love it out here.”ĬNN Travel spent a day climbing into and around the bridge, learning these 10 secrets from the people who know and love it best.ġ. “My favorite part is just to be able to say that I work on the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s just a beautiful, beautiful sight,” he said. ![]() “When the moon is behind the bridge in the morning, it’s really nice and it’s really calm, clear skies. Ironworker Darren McVeigh loves to see the bridge when the sun is rising or setting. “You get those nice days where it’s 75 degrees out here and it’s clear, and you can see the Farallons (islands), I could see Alcatraz, I could see the whole city,” says bridge painter Brian Russell.”If we have a job on the cables, you get to walk the cables and you’re all like, “you know what I have a pretty cool job.’” The Golden Gate Bridge DeAgostini/Getty Imagesįrom the engineers and ironworkers and electricians who maintain the bridge to the painters who keep it coated in International Orange, there’s as much life under and around the bridge as there is moving over it.
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