Home > Science Fact Finder > Bridges, Buildings, and Other Structures - Who Designed The Golden Gate Bridge?

1. Printable Version
2. Download PDF
3. Cite this Page
4. Tweet This

Who designed the Golden Gate Bridge?

American civil engineer Joseph B. Strauss (1870—1938) was chief engineer and designer of the bridge. He was assisted in the design by Charles Ellis and Leon Moissieff. An engineering masterpiece that opened to traffic in May 1937, this suspension bridge spans San Francisco Bay, and links San Francisco with Marin County, California. (A suspension bridge is one in which the roadway hangs from steel cables that are attached to two or more towers.) It has a central span (length between towers) of 4,200 feet (1,280 meters), with towers rising 746 feet (2,274 meters) above the water. The Golden Gate Bridge was the world's longest bridge until the construction of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City in 1964.

Sources: "Golden Gate Bridge." Encyclopaedia Britannica CD 97; Jackson, Donald C. Great American

Bridges and Dams, pp. 278-80.

...

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass

1. Bridges And Tunnels
   1. Who is known as the founder of civil engineering?
   2. What are the various types of bridge structures?
   3. What is the world's longest bridge span?
   4. Are there any floating bridges in the United States?
   5. Where is the longest suspension bridge in the United States?
   6. Who designed the Golden Gate Bridge?
   7. Which area of the United States has the greatest number of bridges?
   8. Who built the Brooklyn Bridge?
   9. Where is the longest bridge-tunnel in the world located?
   10. What is the world's longest rood tunnel?
2. Streets And Highways
   1. When was the first transcontinental U.S. highway built?
   2. How are United States highways numbered?
   3. How was early macadam different from modern paved roads?
   4. What is a jersey barrier?
   5. Which city had the first traffic light?
   6. Which state has the most miles of roads?
3. Buildings
   1. When was the first skyscraper built?
   2. What are the tallest buildings in the world?
   3. What material was used to construct the exterior oft the empire State Building?
   4. Which building has the largest nonair-supported clear span roof?
   5. Who invented the geodesic dome?
   6. How much does the leaning tower of Pisa lean?
   7. What is rammed earth?
   8. How many acres of trees are used in the construction of a single-family home?
   9. How does a chimmey differ from a flute?
4. Miscellaneous Structures
   1. Where is the highest dam in the United States and what is its capacity?
   2. How big is the Hoover Dam?
   3. What are the dimensions of the Eiffel Tower?
   4. Who invented the Ferris wheel and when?
   5. Where did roller coasters originate?
   6. How tall is the figure on the Statue of Liberty and how much does it weigh?