From the Office of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi
 

Pelosi, Woolsey Deliver $1.6 Million for Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit

September 14, 2004

San Francisco -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey announced today the release of more than $1.6 million for the ongoing seismic retrofitting of the Golden Gate Bridge from the U.S. Department of Transportation. This is the last installment of the $4.5 million Pelosi and Woolsey secured in the fiscal year 2004 omnibus spending bill.

Golden Gate Bridge - West View"The Golden Gate Bridge is a landmark of national significance and deserving of significant national funding," Pelosi said. "These funds will help ensure that in case of an earthquake many lives will be saved, and this beloved national symbol will survive."

"We have much to do to improve transportation for Marin and Sonoma County, but if the Golden Gate Bridge is effected by an earthquake or terrorist attack, then traffic in the entire North Bay will be tied up," Woolsey said. "The Golden Gate Bridge is a vital traffic artery for the North Bay and these funds will go towards the completion of the third and final phase of the seismic retrofit project."

Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit measures are designed to tune and strengthen the bridge to minimize damage caused by the ground motions of an earthquake. These funds will support the third and final phase of the Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project which will retrofit the suspension span, towers, south pier and fender, north pier, north anchorage, and north pylon. Phase III construction will take place over a four-year period beginning in January 2005 and is estimated to create 1,240 jobs in areas such as materials fabrication, shipping, and construction.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a critical transportation link in the San Francisco Bay area that carries 42 million vehicles and is visited by more than 10 million people annually. However, it remains vulnerable to earthquakes and could fail during an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 or greater on the nearby San Andreas or Hayward faults. This construction project, which is well underway, will retrofit the Golden Gate Bridge to withstand earthquakes up to magnitude 8.3.

Pelosi obtained an additional $70 million for the Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project as part of the $120 million she secured for San Francisco Bay Area transportation projects in the transportation bill that passed the House of Representatives in April and is currently in conference committee.

# # #