Over the past four decades, the Golden Gate Bridge has been the scene of seismic-safety repairs aimed at making the vital span able to withstand an earthquake.
As we learned after the 1989 Loma Prieta quake, the Bay Area bridges were not all able to withstand that 15-second, 6.9-magnitude shaking it got that fall evening.
The Golden Gate Bridge, 60 miles north of that historic quake’s epicenter, was not damaged, but one of the decks on the San Francisco Bay Bridge collapsed, putting that important traffic arterial out of commission for weeks.
More quakes are inevitable and the 1989 shaker was a sobering warning. If the epicenter had been closer, the Golden Gate Bridge might not have escaped unscathed, post Loma Prieta engineering studies showed. If the epicenter was closer, the bridge might have suffered damage that would have left it closed to traffic for an extended period.
That closure would make recovery on both sides of the bridge more difficult.
Golden Gate officials have been focused on improvements that will make the 85-year-old landmark bridge more resilient to surviving an 8.3-magnitude quake, comparable to the destructive 1906 San Francisco quake.
That’s prudent management of a vital public asset, one that carries about 112,000 vehicles per day and is a vital artery in the Bay Area’s economy.
Keeping it safe and open is critical to our county.
That’s why seismic-safety improvements have been a top priority for years.
The district is approaching the final phase of that work, the installation of 38 devices designed to absorb the next quake’s jolts – and those that will surely follow – and protect the main suspension bridge.
The estimated cost of the work – $880 million – is eye-popping, but it is a small price to pay considering the value and importance of making the bridge as safe as possible.
Leaders in the planned construction expect work could begin in 2025.
Yearlong pre-construction work required in the meantime and, of course, the economy, could change the estimate.
Golden Gate officials have partnered with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to seek federal grants to help pay for the work.
MTC, the Bay Area’s transportation planning and financing authority, calls the bridge “an important regional priority.”
Over the years, building the funding for this necessary work has taken as long as the construction.
Federal funding recognizes that the Golden Gate is a national landmark as well as a vital part of the Bay Area’s economy.
Diligent progress toward raising the needed funds and getting construction started are vital in making improvements to make the span safer when the next quake strikes.
Work on this final phase of the seismic-safety improvements needs to move forward.
