Presidio of San Francisco in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

World's Tallest Bridge Towers

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 3, 2021

1. World's Tallest Bridge Towers Marker

Inscription. A long-span suspension bridge usually has tall towers. The height of the Bridge's towers directs the tensile (pulling) forces in the main cables upward, so that the cables can efficiently hold up the roadway deck.

The 746-foot-tall (227-meter-tall) towers, the tallest bridge towers in the world when the Bridge was completed in 1937, were constructed by lifting prefabricated steel sections into place. A temporary support for cranes (climbing derrick) was built between the two legs of each tower, and cranes on the platform lifted sections of the tower into place at that level. Then the platform with its cranes was raised up the growing tower, and the process was repeated.

The 44,000 tons (40,000 metric tons) of steel in each tower was manufactured at Bethlehem Steel plants in Pennsylvania. The steel was shipped through the Panama Canal to the San Francisco Bay.

With the towers rising higher than a 60-story building – this was no place for a person with a fear of heights.

Captions:
Top left: Ironworkers high on the south tower. Sen Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
Bottom left: The traveling platform and cranes moved upward as the towers grew taller. San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
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center: A temporary catwalk provides access to the top of a tower. Architectural cover plates have been installed on the lower two horizontal struts pictured, but not yet on the top one. San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
Top right: It took workers up to 20 minutes to climb a series of ladders to work on the towers. San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
Bottom right: Prefabricated tower sections arrive by barge from a nearby staging area. San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library

Erected 2012 by Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Bridges & Viaducts. A significant historical year for this entry is 1937.

Location. 37° 48.489′ N, 122° 28.55′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in Presidio of San Francisco. Marker can be reached from Coastal Trail. Marker is in the Battery Lancaster exhibit area of the Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point South overlook. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: San Francisco CA 94129, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Bathtub for the South Tower (here, next to this marker); Spinning the Main Cables (here, next to this marker); Working Under Water

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 3, 2021

2. World's Tallest Bridge Towers Marker

Marker is fifth from the left.

(here, next to this marker); Hanging the Roadway Deck (here, next to this marker); Making the Impossible, Possible: The Story of the Golden Gate Bridge (here, next to this marker); Engineering the Design (here, next to this marker); All in a Day's Work (here, next to this marker); Fort Point Arch (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 171 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.