American Manufacturing, Construction Fasteners

Keeping Golden Gate Bridge in good shape as it turns 80

5,841 Comments

Original Article by Carl Nolte May 27, 2017 for The San Francisco Chronicle

As the Golden Gate Bridge was being built, Joseph Strauss, the chief engineer, was often asked: How long will the bridge last? His answer was always the same.

“Forever,” he said.

The famous span turns 80 on Saturday, not quite forever, but nearly a lifetime. And how long the bridge lasts depends on a small army of painters, ironworkers, electricians and engineers whose job over the years has taken them to the top and the bottom of the towers and everywhere else on the bridge.

Currently, the Golden Gate Bridge employs 32 painters, five painter laborers, 19 ironworkers, and three ironworker foremen, called “pushers” in the trade. A superintendent is in overall charge.

Though the painters are the most visible of the maintenance crew, it’s the ironworkers, who walk the high steel and build the scaffolding for the painters, who capture the public imagination.

“We have a nickname. They call us Sky Cowboys,” said Phillip Chaney, 57, the ironworker superintendent.

Their job is to replace rusting rivets with bolts, to build scaffolding for the painters and to make sure the bridge is sound.

“The paint protects the steel, but it’s the steel that holds up the bridge,” Chaney said.

“We have a corner office with a view,” said Darren McVeigh, 51, a second-generation ironworker who has been with the Golden Gate Bridge for 15 years and in the trade since 1982.

It’s “rough and dirty work,” McVeigh said, but it’s a good job.

Ironworkers report at 6:30 in the morning and are off by 3. It’s a union job, and the pay is good: $41.53 an hour, according to bridge district figures. It takes a four-year apprenticeship to become a journeyman, and Golden Gate work is especially prized in the trade: Bridge workers get 13 paid holidays, plus vacation.

In other jobs, McVeigh said, “When you don’t work, you don’t get paid.”

On the other hand, working on the Golden Gate presents special problems. The bridge crosses a strait on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, and the strait is famous for its wind and fog.

“Sometimes it cuts through you like a knife,” McVeigh said. “It’s brutal, just brutal. At the end of the day, all you can do is stand under a hot shower.”

The moisture from the fog and rain also add an element of danger to the work because it makes the steel slippery.

No one can be an ironworker who has a fear of heights, but the trade requires a finely honed sense of caution.

“You know the saying: ‘One hand for the company and one hand for yourself,’” McVeigh said.

All ironworkers on the bridge are required to wear a harness — 100 percent tie-off they call it — but there’s a trade-off. With layers of clothing on a chilly day, a body harness and a tool belt, ironworkers look like bears up on the steel. It makes it harder to move, to work.

Though 11 workers were killed during construction, there have been only two fatal accidents involving bridge crews in the past 80 years. In 1970, a painter fell to his death, and in 2003 an ironworker in the employ of a contractor died in an accident during a seismic retrofit project.

And there are also injuries, especially working with steel beams and building scaffolding.

“You get hand smashes and eye injuries, back injuries, bad knees,” McVeigh said.

They also face death, especially when someone is threatening suicide. Bridge workers are trained to intervene and will go to the railing to try to stop someone from jumping. “We put on a harness and tie-off so if they go, we are not going to go with them,” McVeigh said.

Like the others, he has talked some would-be jumpers off the edge. “I’ve lost count,” he said. “Maybe a dozen.”

In the next few years, a suicide barrier will be strung under the deck. The work won’t be done by in-house ironworkers, but by ironworkers hired by the contractors for the job.

The ironworkers’ main work at the bridge is keeping it standing. “There’s an old saying,” McVeigh said. “Rust never rests.”

Chaney points to a long color-coded chart in an engineering office near the toll plaza. It’s a conceptual printout of the bridge, showing the results of regular inspections: green for good steel, yellow for caution, red for problems.

Last year, the ironworkers spent a lot of time replacing some of the 600,000 rivets in the Marin tower. Rusted rivets are removed by a device called a “rivet buster” and are replaced with steel bolts.

Most of this year is devoted to building stages — “dance floors,” they are called — under the roadway deck, so old paint and some steel can be replaced. The stages are surrounded by tent-like structures that keep the old paint and debris from falling into the water.

It takes months to build the stages and the tenting, careful work done under the roadway. It’s not as dramatic as high work on the 746-foot-tall towers, but just as important.

There are other jobs, too. “I have guys working on greasing the bearings on the deck,” Chaney said. Like all suspension spans, the Golden Gate Bridge moves with the weight of traffic and with the wind. The steel moves. “You don’t want a stiff structure,” he said.

After the stages are done, the next big job will be to work on the San Francisco tower, where the effects of wind and rain have left the tower looking a bit shabby, as if it needs a new paint job. “It’s structurally sound,” Chaney said, “but not aesthetically.”

Not everybody can work on what may well be the most famous bridge in the world. Like others on the bridge, McVeigh is proud of it.

“When you are driving to work and see it in the windshield,” he said, “you say to yourself: ‘Wow! Look at this thing!’”

A quiet anniversary

It will be a quiet birthday Saturday when the Golden Gate Bridge turns 80.

Instead, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District is inviting the public to post personal stories about the bridge on the bridge’s Facebook page and to Twitter @goldengatebridge, hashtag #GGB80 and #MyGGBstory.

The idea, the district says, is to “allow visitors from all over the world to join the fun.”

On the bridge’s 50th anniversary, in 1987, as many as 300,000 people walked on the bridge, causing the arch in the main span to flatten. The bridge staged an elaborate fireworks display on its 75th, in 2012. See Original Article >

Custom Bolts | Special Bolts | Custom Machined Bolts

5,841 thoughts on “Keeping Golden Gate Bridge in good shape as it turns 80”

  10. Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your weblog and in accession capital to assert that I
    get in fact enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I will be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you
    access consistently rapidly. asmr 0mniartist

  12. Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and
    wished to say that I’ve truly enjoyed surfing around your blog posts.
    In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again very soon! asmr 0mniartist

  14. Hi! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble with hackers?
    My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing many months of hard work due to no backup.
    Do you have any methods to prevent hackers? 0mniartist asmr

  17. Hello thｅre! I know this іs somewhat off topic butt I was
    wondering which blog plаtform are you using for this sitе?
    I’mgetting sick aand tired of WordPress becauѕe I’ve hаd problems with hackers and I’m looing at options for another platform.

    I would be awesome if you could point me in the directiߋn of a good platform.

    my webpage payday loans huntsville al

  20. Howdy, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of
    spam responses? If so how do you prevent it, any plugin or anything
    you can advise? I get so much lately it’s driving me crazy so any assistance is very
    much appreciated. asmr 0mniartist

  32. Wow, awesome weblog structure! How long have you been running a blog for? you make running a blog glance easy. The overall look of your site is magnificent, let alone the content material!

  36. Hi, Neat post. There’s a problem with your web site in internet explorer, would check this?IE still is the market leader and a good portion of people will miss your fantastic writing because of this problem.

  37. I’ll immediately take hold of your rss feed as I can’t find your email
    subscription hyperlink or newsletter service.
    Do you’ve any? Please permit me understand in order that
    I may just subscribe. Thanks.

  39. You can find a cover made of many different materials that will be able to meet these requirements, so you should certainly take your time and choose the best motorcycle covers design that suits your needs.

  41. Thanks for your article. One other thing is the fact individual states have their particular laws that will affect people, which makes it extremely tough for the Congress to come up with the latest set of recommendations concerning property foreclosures on house owners. The problem is that each state possesses own legal guidelines which may work in an adverse manner in relation to foreclosure policies.

  42. Wow, fantastic blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
    you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is magnificent, let alone the content!

  45. What’s up it’s me, I am also visiting this web site daily, this web
    site is genuinely nice and the people are genuinely sharing
    pleasant thoughts.

  47. Excellent web site. Plenty of useful information here. I am sending it to a few friends ans also sharing in delicious. And certainly, thank you on your sweat!

  56. I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own blog and was wondering what all is required to get set up? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very web smart so I’m not 100 certain. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

  80. Everything published made a lot of sense. However, think about this, what if you added a little
    information? I mean, I don’t want to tell you how to run your website, however what if you added something that makes people desire
    more? I mean Keeping Golden Gate Bridge in good shape
    as it turns 80 | Chicago Nut Bolt is a little plain. You ought to peek at Yahoo’s home page and see how they write post headlines
    to grab people to click. You might try adding a video or a pic or
    two to grab readers interested about everything’ve got to say.

    Just my opinion, it would bring your website a little livelier.

  82. Your style is unique compared to other folks I have read stuff
    from. Thanks for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I’ll just bookmark this site.

  86. Hey There. I found your weblog the use of msn. That is a really smartly written article. I抣l be sure to bookmark it and come back to learn extra of your useful info. Thanks for the post. I抣l certainly comeback.

  94. Nice read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing some research on that. And he actually bought me lunch as I found it for him smile Thus let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!

  106. Hi there! I realize this is sort of off-topic but I had to ask.
    Does operating a well-established website like yours require a massive amount work?
    I’m completely new to writing a blog but I do write in my journal on a daily basis.

    I’d like to start a blog so I can easily share my experience and thoughts online.
    Please let me know if you have any kind of ideas or tips for brand new aspiring blog
    owners. Appreciate it!

  108. Spot on with this write-up, I actually assume this web site needs far more consideration. I抣l probably be again to read rather more, thanks for that info.

  113. hi!,I like your writing very much! share we communicate more about your article on AOL? I need an expert on this area to solve my problem. May be that’s you! Looking forward to see you.

  119. It’s remarkable to go to see this website and
    reading the views of all friends about this piece of writing, while I am also zealous of getting know-how.

  121. What i do not realize is actually how you’re now not actually a lot more smartly-appreciated than you might be now. You’re so intelligent. You already know thus considerably relating to this matter, made me personally consider it from a lot of various angles. Its like men and women are not fascinated unless it抯 something to accomplish with Girl gaga! Your personal stuffs great. Always care for it up!

  129. I’m typically to blogging and i really admire your content. The article has really peaks my interest. I’m going to bookmark your website and preserve checking for brand spanking new information.

  132. A person essentially help to make seriously posts I would state. This is the first time I frequented your website page and thus far? I surprised with the research you made to create this particular publish amazing. Fantastic job!

  158. Pingback: how to create a tinder account

  161. Thanks for your article. Another thing is that just being a photographer includes not only problems in capturing award-winning photographs but also hardships in establishing the best digital camera suited to your requirements and most especially situations in maintaining the grade of your camera. It is very accurate and noticeable for those photography enthusiasts that are in to capturing this nature’s captivating scenes : the mountains, the actual forests, the particular wild or even the seas. Visiting these amazing places definitely requires a photographic camera that can live up to the wild’s nasty settings.

  166. scoliosis
    It is in reality a nice and useful piece of info. I am happy that you shared this helpful information with us.
    Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing. scoliosis

  172. scoliosis
    Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Thanks, However I am experiencing troubles with your
    RSS. I don’t know the reason why I cannot join it. Is there anybody getting similar RSS issues?
    Anyone that knows the answer can you kindly respond?

    Thanx!! scoliosis

  180. Today, I went to the beach with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had to tell someone!

  202. scoliosis
    Wow that was odd. I just wrote an really long comment but after I
    clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well
    I’m not writing all that over again. Regardless, just
    wanted to say wonderful blog! scoliosis

  244. I just like the helpful info you supply to your articles. I will bookmark your weblog and check once more right here frequently. I am somewhat certain I抣l learn plenty of new stuff proper right here! Best of luck for the following!

  247. You made some good points there. I checked on the web for more information about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this site.

  323. hello there and thank you for your information ?I抳e definitely picked up anything new from right here. I did however expertise several technical points using this website, as I experienced to reload the site a lot of times previous to I could get it to load properly. I had been wondering if your web host is OK? Not that I’m complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will very frequently affect your placement in google and could damage your quality score if advertising and marketing with Adwords. Well I抦 adding this RSS to my email and can look out for much more of your respective intriguing content. Ensure that you update this again very soon..

  356. Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wished to say that I have really enjoyed surfing
    around your blog posts. After all I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again soon!

  430. It’s the best time to make some plans for the future and it’s
    time to be happy. I’ve read this post and
    if I could I desire to suggest you few interesting things or suggestions.
    Perhaps you could write next articles referring to this article.
    I want to read more things about it!

  442. Heya! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my
    new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog
    and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the superb work!

  477. Usually I do not read post on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up
    very compelled me to check out and do so! Your writing
    taste has been surprised me. Thank you, quite nice post.

  526. TAKipçi SATIN AL
    Organik takipçi satın al işlemi ile instagram sayfalarınızı büyütebilirsiniz.
    Bunun için size sunulan instagram takipçi satın al seçeneklerini incelemenizi tavsiye ederiz.
    Seçenekler arasında Türk takipçi veya instagram düşmeyen takipçi satın al imkanı mevcuttur.

    Sayfanızı büyütebilmek için en iyi seçenek TAKipçi SATIN AL
    işlemidir.

  528. What i do not realize is in fact how you’re not really a lot more neatly-favored than you may be now.
    You are so intelligent. You realize thus considerably with regards to
    this matter, made me individually imagine it from a lot of numerous angles.
    Its like women and men aren’t involved except it’s
    one thing to do with Lady gaga! Your individual stuffs
    excellent. Always deal with it up!

  530. Can I simply say what a comfort to uncover someone that genuinely understands what they’re discussing
    online. You definitely understand how to bring a problem to light and make it important.
    More and more people need to check this out and understand
    this side of your story. I was surprised you aren’t more popular since you certainly possess the gift.

  534. Good day! I could have sworn I’ve visited this blog before but after going through
    many of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Anyhow, I’m definitely happy I discovered it and
    I’ll be book-marking it and checking back frequently!