CIA STARGATE release

CIA-RDP96-00792R000700440001-2

Opens with: GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

Warning: text for all documents has not been verified. Errors are possible. Check the original by document ID on CREST.

1 page, machine transcribed from the CIA’s released scan.

Page 1

Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000700440001-2
Site 733
GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE
The second largest suspension
bridge in the world.
It spans the golden gate-a mile wide
straight between the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay-
and connects San Francisco with Marin County to the North. The
bridge has a 4200 foot main span, second only to the
Verranzo-Narrows Bridge in New York Harbor, and a total length
of 8,981 feet. The $35 million dollar structure was started in
1933 and opened in 1937.
Joseph B. Strauss was the chief
engineer and Othmar H. Amman (q. v. ) was a consultant.
The two steel towers of the
bridge, each 746 feet high, are the tallest bridge towers in
the world. The towers, painted bright orange, support two
cables, 36.5 inches in diameter, spaced 90 feet apart. The
pier supporting the south tower is founded on bedrock 100 feet
below the water surface. The pier, built 1125 ft from shore,
is exposed to ocean storms and strong tidal currents.
The
bridge carries a roadway, 60 feet wide, divided into six lanes
for vehicular traffic and there are plans to add a second lower
deck. The view from the roadway about 250 ft above the water
is spectacular.
Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000700440001-2