In a comment on the post about painting the Golden Gate Bridge, a reader mentioned being on the bridge that was packed with people for its 50th anniversary, then a day or two later this popped up on one of the sites I get pictures from.
Hmm. I broke down on the GG bridge in the summer of 87. Weren't that many people, but there sure were a lot of cars for an 18 year old country kid to be broke down in the middle of.
800,000 people times 150#/person = 120,000,000#. Was that bridge designed for that load? Almost surely not. Congrats to American designers and craftsmen's work.
We look at your work in awe, and long for your strength and skills.
Standard engineering rating load margin is 7x (according to all those classes I took back in 1992 anyway, dunno if code's changedsince then), so even if it's not rated for it, it's probably okay so long as it's not more than 7x the rating.
I saw the 800,000 people figure soon after the event, but I didn't think that would fit because the total area of the whole bridge is only a touch over 800,000 Sq. Ft. We were packed together pretty tight but not that tight. I did an estimate later allowing 3 Sq. Ft. per person, which I thought was reasonable, and that only adds up to 270,000 people. But, if we use your #150/person figure that's still over 40,000,000 lbs.
The bridge website only claims a live load capacity per lineal foot of 4,000 lbs. which only comes to about 36,000,000 total distributed load so I guess we should all be dead.
Oh well, not the only time I should have been snuffed out, to be honest, I think I've come a lot closer doing much dumber shit than that.
That's interesting perspective that I've never seen before. Notice the building underneath the first arch in the middle foreground. Bridge management and maintenance shed?
Not hardly. Google doesn't insert pictures into a picdump just for me no more than it inserts pictures just for you on my site. And I wouldn't know about smart(ass) phones.
I've only crossed the Golden Gate maybe a dozen times in all the years I lived in California, and every time I did, there were high winds. Never got stuck on it, though.
I went to the 100th Indy 500 in 2016 that had maybe 500,000, including workers, which might have been a record for a single sporting event. I never imagined there was an event that had more people at it. Almost unimaginable.
I'm not claustrophobic but that would be just too many people surrounding me.
ReplyDeleteHmm. I broke down on the GG bridge in the summer of 87. Weren't that many people, but there sure were a lot of cars for an 18 year old country kid to be broke down in the middle of.
ReplyDelete800,000 people times 150#/person = 120,000,000#. Was that bridge designed for that load? Almost surely not. Congrats to American designers and craftsmen's work.
ReplyDeleteWe look at your work in awe, and long for your strength and skills.
The Golden Gate Bridge is definitely an engineering marvel, isn't it?
DeleteThe Golden Gate bridge normally has an arch. It went flat that day.
Deletehttps://sf.curbed.com/2019/5/24/18638972/golden-gate-bridge-walk-anniversary-birthday-photos-bend
Standard engineering rating load margin is 7x (according to all those classes I took back in 1992 anyway, dunno if code's changedsince then), so even if it's not rated for it, it's probably okay so long as it's not more than 7x the rating.
DeleteI saw the 800,000 people figure soon after the event, but I didn't think that would fit because the total area of the whole bridge is only a touch over 800,000 Sq. Ft. We were packed together pretty tight but not that tight. I did an estimate later allowing 3 Sq. Ft. per person, which I thought was reasonable, and that only adds up to 270,000 people. But, if we use your #150/person figure that's still over 40,000,000 lbs.
DeleteThe bridge website only claims a live load capacity per lineal foot of 4,000 lbs. which only comes to about 36,000,000 total distributed load so I guess we should all be dead.
Oh well, not the only time I should have been snuffed out, to be honest, I think I've come a lot closer doing much dumber shit than that.
Where did all those people park?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question. Parking in San Francisco or Sausalito on the other side is hard to find on a regular day.
DeleteI was in a crowd of about 200,000 at the original Watkins Glen concert way back when. Not a good time, not even a little.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to "Social Distancing"?
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting perspective that I've never seen before. Notice the building underneath the first arch in the middle foreground. Bridge management and maintenance shed?
ReplyDeleteNemo
That's Fort Point, dating back to before the Civil War.
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Point_National_Historic_Site
TX. Nemo
DeleteNot a coincidence. Googly eyes on you (or other(s)). Just like your (smartass) phone listening in.
ReplyDeleteSteve S6
Not hardly. Google doesn't insert pictures into a picdump just for me no more than it inserts pictures just for you on my site.
DeleteAnd I wouldn't know about smart(ass) phones.
I was stuck on that bridge once in a traffic jam during high winds (which are practically most days I understand). Not a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteI've only crossed the Golden Gate maybe a dozen times in all the years I lived in California, and every time I did, there were high winds. Never got stuck on it, though.
DeleteIt looks like a fire ant invasion. Call the exterminator!
ReplyDeleteStarker was here.
I went to the 100th Indy 500 in 2016 that had maybe 500,000, including workers, which might have been a record for a single sporting event. I never imagined there was an event that had more people at it. Almost unimaginable.
ReplyDelete-----why?----
ReplyDeleteThats a lot of sodomites
ReplyDelete