Was the Golden Gate Bridge actually gold?

As the Bridge was built, it was painted International Orange, with a lead primer and a lead-based topcoat. Painting of the various Bridge structures then continued into the next several years. Spot painting of the steel continued in various areas of the span on an as needed basis until 1968.



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Some visitors wonder why the bridge isn't gold, like made from actual gold (or at least gold painted). Others, like me, have long mistaken it for red. The color is actually called 'international orange' - a variation on the color used now for many astronaut jumpsuits. It was a beautiful accident.

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Your toll dollars go a long way for bridge, highway and transit projects all around the Bay Area. The regular $7 toll is distributed several ways: First Dollar: bridge operations and maintenance, Regional Measure 1 projects, transit capital and transit operations. Second Dollar: toll bridge seismic retrofit work.

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The Golden Gate Bridge is closely monitored to make sure it does not exceed its stress limits due to traffic, wind and seismic loads. We can look forward to at least another 80 years of this engineering masterpiece.

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Since it opened on May 27, 1937, there have been an estimated 1,600 deaths in which the body was recovered, and many more unconfirmed.

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Want to swim over the deepest part of the bay? Maybe you've already done it and had no idea - you'll find the deepest water in our Golden Gate Bridge race just under the bridge at over 370 feet.

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If a Richter magnitude 8.0 or greater earthquake centered near the Bridge, there would be a substantial risk of impending collapse of the San Francisco and Marin Approach Viaducts and the Fort Point Arch, and extensive damage to the remaining Bridge structures, including the Main Suspension Bridge.

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5 Fun Facts About the Golden Gate Bridge
  • The bridge is actually not golden at all! It's a bright red-orange.
  • It was named one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
  • It took four years to build.
  • There are approximately 600,000 rivets in each of the bridge's towers.
  • It's the most photographed bridge in the world.


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The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District is a special-purpose district that owns and operates three regional transportation assets in the San Francisco Bay Area: the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the Golden Gate Ferry system and the Golden Gate Transit system.

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According to the book The World Without Us by Alan Weisman, suspension and truss bridges would collapse after two or three centuries without maintenance. The cause would be rust eventually filling the expansion joints, causing damage during hot weather.

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There are a couple of misconceptions about how often the Bridge is painted. Some say once every seven years, others say from end to end each year. The truth is that the Bridge is painted continuously. Painting the Bridge is an ongoing task and a primary maintenance job.

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The Bridge has been closed for very brief periods during the suspender rope replacement project (1973 to 1976). There were eight (8) closings of 2 hours each, 2:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m., to move equipment. The Bridge was closed for the 50th anniversary Bridge Walk on May 24, 1987, from about 4:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

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The bridge's two main towers each rise 746 feet above the water and are strung with 80,000 miles of cable. The Golden Gate Bridge is a historical landmark and has carried well over two billion vehicles since opening to traffic.

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With the earlier phases of the retrofit complete, the bridge can safely withstand an earthquake over 7.0 in magnitude, but it may experience damage that requires closure after a major seismic event.

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Sidewalk access hours during Daylight Savings Time: 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Sidewalk access hours during Standard Time (when it's NOT Daylight Savings Time: 5:00 AM to 6:30 PM.

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There are four easy ways to pay a Golden Gate Bridge toll - a FasTrak Account, License Plate Account, One-Time Payment, and Toll Invoice. Tolls may be paid using credit card, cash, check or money order, and can be paid online, by phone, or in person.

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With great fanfare, people from all over the world came to pay homage to the Bridge, become part of a historical celebration and create lifelong memories. The day began as “Bridgewalk '87” reenacted “Pedestrian Day '37” and an estimated 300,000 people surged onto the roadway.

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