The Golden Gate Bridge:
Schoolchildren around the country would send in their pennies and the federal government would probably provide emergency funds to help rebuild the Golden Gate Bridge if it were damaged in an earthquake. Ironically, intact but seismically fragile, the bridge has not had the same financial appeal. Nevertheless, bridge officials have been working for several years to strengthen the bridge and find the funding to do the job.
The Golden Gate Bridge is an icon which represents the Bay Area and California to the world. In addition, it is a heavily travelled link in the region's transportation network, carrying over 40 million people per year, many of them daily commuters.
Although it suffered no significant damage in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, studies show that the 66-year old structure could fail in an earthquake 7.0 or greater on the nearby San Andreas or Hayward faults. The estimated replacement cost, in 2003 dollars, is over $2.1 billion. The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, which operates the bridge, is at the midpoint of a three-phase seismic retrofit program estimated to cost $392 million.
Phase I of the retrofit, which lasted from August 1997 to December 2001, retrofitted the North Viaduct section of the bridge, between the northern tower and the anchorage where the bridge meets land (the anchorage will be retrofitted in Phase III). The steel towers which support the roadway were removed and rebuilt on new foundations, and the five truss spans which make up the viaduct were connected to move as a single unit in an earthquake.
Phase II, now underway, is strengthening the South Viaduct and Anchorage Housing, the Fort Point Arch, and the South Pylons. Work began in the summer of 2002 and will last for four years. Like Phase I, which created little disruption for the public using the bridge and adjacent areas, Phase II work will have no impact on traffic, although visitors will have less access to Fort Point during the week.
Finally, if funding is obtained, Phase III will retrofit the main suspension span and towers, the South Pier and Fender, the North Anchorage and a pylon at the north end of the bridge. This part of the program is estimated to take 3.5 years to complete once it is funded.
The Golden Gate Bridge is part of the national highway system, and capital improvement projects on it are eligible for federal funds. Bridge officials originally estimated that costs for the seismic program could be funded 50% by the federal government, with the remaining funds coming from local, regional and state sources. When federal funding was not obtained by the beginning of Phase I, the district paid for the project using $71 million in bridge tolls, with the assurance that this money would count as a local match for funds received in later phases. Phase II has received $83 million in federal funds, approximately half the total estimated cost of $161 million. The remainder is being paid by state and regional transportation funds and from bridge tolls.
If federal funds are to match 50/50 with other funding for the full seismic retrofit, approximately $113 million will be needed from the federal government for Phase III, with $47 million from local sources. In July the District received $7.8 million in federal funds as a first installment of the federal portion, but the local funding sources still need to be identified.
Recently, federal funding for the bridge has been obtained not only as protection against future earthquakes, but also as an acknowledgement that strengthening the bridge will protect against the newly recognized threat of terrorist activity. While total costs for new security measures at the bridge are hard to determine, they are adding to the financial woes of the district, which has recently cut its bus services and raised bridge tolls to reduce budget deficits.
Despite financial difficulties, bridge staff and board members are committed to keeping the bridge sound and safe. In addition to service cuts and increased tolls, they are appealing to the many visitors and other bridge lovers for support through innovative strategies which include a Golden Gate Bridge Christmas ornament* and a donation box at the visitors plaza near the south end of the bridge. Proceeds from the donation box are earmarked for bridge maintenance and repair. With enough help from friends, federal or otherwise, the district hopes to complete the full Golden Gate Bridge seismic retrofit before the next Bay Area earthquake tests the landmark structure.
Leslie Stewart