Golden Gate Bridge barrier expected next year

[ZLoth]

From SF Gate:

Golden Gate Bridge barrier expected next year

Those harrowing drives across the Golden Gate Bridge with oncoming traffic inches away, separated only by a row of yellow plastic tubes, will in all likelihood come to an end next year with the arrival of a slender steel-and-concrete movable median barrier.

After 15 years of planning and searching for funding, the bridge district's Board of Directors is expected to approve the purchase of the $26.5 million barrier - designed to prevent head-on collisions - at meetings Thursday and Friday.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Has anyone compiled a list of all construction-related closures in the San Francisco area for the past few decades?

[MrDisco99]

I don't get it... How is it any more harrowing than driving on a multi-lane arterial with a double yellow line?

[NE2]

I don't get it... How is it any more harrowing than driving on a multi-lane arterial with a double yellow line?

10 foot lanes, perhaps.

[Duke87]

Speed. When going over a long bridge, there are no intersections, driveways, or interruptions of any sort for some length, and the road is straight and relatively flat. This means traffic wants to move at freeway speeds, at which point lack of a barrier with that much traffic becomes a hazard.

The Delaware River bridges with this configuration always used to keep a lane in the middle closed as buffer space back before they had movable barriers installed. Golden Gate I believe does not do this.

[roadman]

After 15 years of planning and searching for funding,

So, planning and securing funding for installation of a simple median barrier took almost five times as long as it did to construct the original bridge.  What is wrong with this picture?

[TheStranger]

The Delaware River bridges with this configuration always used to keep a lane in the middle closed as buffer space back before they had movable barriers installed. Golden Gate I believe does not do this.

The Golden Gate Bridge DOES leave an unused lane at non-peak hours for this purpose (i.e. at night after rush hour).

[briantroutman]

I don't get it... How is it any more harrowing than driving on a multi-lane arterial with a double yellow line?

It's a combination of factors. Speed–and more importantly speed differential–is a major one. The bridge is posted at 45, but most local commuters seem to prefer 60 or 65. Tourists want to creep through at 20, trying to take photos and drifting in and out of lanes as they do. Southbound, a single lane will frequently come do a dead stop (unexpectedly) when an out-of-towner stops at the now-unmanned toll plaza (while cars in adjacent lanes continue to fly by).

Add to that the narrow lanes, the lack of any shoulders whatsoever, the typically high traffic volumes, frequent fog, expansion joints that become slick when wet, tourists leaning over the railing to take selfies... It can most definitely be harrowing.

The Golden Gate Bridge DOES leave an unused lane at non-peak hours for this purpose (i.e. at night after rush hour).

In my experience, this is usually limited to graveyard shift hours (like 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.), but i've seen as many as four center lanes closed, leaving only a single outermost lane in each direction. The most common overnight arrangement seems to be two northbound, two southbound, and two empty in the center. So then the next morning they just remove the bollards next to the southbound lanes, creating four inbound lanes for the morning rush.

[kkt]

I don't get it... How is it any more harrowing than driving on a multi-lane arterial with a double yellow line?

It's a combination of factors. Speed–and more importantly speed differential–is a major one. The bridge is posted at 45, but most local commuters seem to prefer 60 or 65. Tourists want to creep through at 20, trying to take photos and drifting in and out of lanes as they do. Southbound, a single lane will frequently come do a dead stop (unexpectedly) when an out-of-towner stops at the now-unmanned toll plaza (while cars in adjacent lanes continue to fly by).

Add to that the narrow lanes, the lack of any shoulders whatsoever, the typically high traffic volumes, frequent fog, expansion joints that become slick when wet, tourists leaning over the railing to take selfies... It can most definitely be harrowing.

Yes to all those factors, plus frequent high winds.  The Golden Gate is the only sea level break in the coastal hills for hundreds of miles, so it becomes a funnel for the wind.

If I could build it over, I'd put 13 foot lanes, because of the wind.  And shoulders.  Maybe traffic on two decks, 4 lanes on each.

[bing101]

http://www.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2014/12/19/hey-commuters-the-golden-gate-bridge-is-going-to-shut-down-temporarily-next-month


This is long overdue.

[oscar]

This is just a weekend closure for installation of the new median barrier.  We already have an active thread elsewhere on that topic.

[rickmastfan67]

This is just a weekend closure for installation of the new median barrier.  We already have an active thread elsewhere on that topic.

Now merged.

[PColumbus73]

Maybe the bridge should establish a Minimum Speed Limit (10mph under maybe?) and increase enforcement of the 45MPH speed limit (speed cameras maybe?)

[jakeroot]

Maybe the bridge should establish a Minimum Speed Limit (10mph under maybe?) and increase enforcement of the 45MPH speed limit (speed cameras maybe?)

I'd rather have people looking at the road, not at their speedometers.

[thenetwork]

For such an major bay crossing, and temporary detour for those wanting to drive their own cars, I am very surprised that there is little press about the GGB closure, live webcams on the bridge showing the construction in progress, nor any mention of a San Francisco "Carmegeddon".

At least on the 405 closures over Sepulveda Pass, there were close alternative routes, albeit much slower alternatives.

[jakeroot]

For such an major bay crossing, and temporary detour for those wanting to drive their own cars, I am very surprised that there is little press about the GGB closure, live webcams on the bridge showing the construction in progress, nor any mention of a San Francisco "Carmegeddon".

At least on the 405 closures over Sepulveda Pass, there were close alternative routes, albeit much slower alternatives.

I really don't know much about the Bay Area, but I don't think the GGB is a heavy commuter route. Yes, there are commuters that use it, and they'll have to use the Bay Bridge towards 580, but I don't think the numbers will be too harmful to the overall traffic flow of the area.

[kkt]

For such an major bay crossing, and temporary detour for those wanting to drive their own cars, I am very surprised that there is little press about the GGB closure, live webcams on the bridge showing the construction in progress, nor any mention of a San Francisco "Carmegeddon".

At least on the 405 closures over Sepulveda Pass, there were close alternative routes, albeit much slower alternatives.

I really don't know much about the Bay Area, but I don't think the GGB is a heavy commuter route. Yes, there are commuters that use it, and they'll have to use the Bay Bridge towards 580, but I don't think the numbers will be too harmful to the overall traffic flow of the area.

The GGB is a very heavy commuter route.  Marin has lots of bedroom communities for S.F.  The closure made the national news summary every 20 minutes on NPR, especially surprising in view of the competing headlines from France right now.

[jakeroot]

For such an major bay crossing, and temporary detour for those wanting to drive their own cars, I am very surprised that there is little press about the GGB closure, live webcams on the bridge showing the construction in progress, nor any mention of a San Francisco "Carmegeddon".

At least on the 405 closures over Sepulveda Pass, there were close alternative routes, albeit much slower alternatives.

I really don't know much about the Bay Area, but I don't think the GGB is a heavy commuter route. Yes, there are commuters that use it, and they'll have to use the Bay Bridge towards 580, but I don't think the numbers will be too harmful to the overall traffic flow of the area.

The GGB is a very heavy commuter route.  Marin has lots of bedroom communities for S.F.  The closure made the national news summary every 20 minutes on NPR, especially surprising in view of the competing headlines from France right now.

I've always thought of the GGB as being like our 520. Pretty important, but can close if necessary without harming the well-being of the citizens. Is that a poor comparison?

[kkt]

For such an major bay crossing, and temporary detour for those wanting to drive their own cars, I am very surprised that there is little press about the GGB closure, live webcams on the bridge showing the construction in progress, nor any mention of a San Francisco "Carmegeddon".

At least on the 405 closures over Sepulveda Pass, there were close alternative routes, albeit much slower alternatives.

I really don't know much about the Bay Area, but I don't think the GGB is a heavy commuter route. Yes, there are commuters that use it, and they'll have to use the Bay Bridge towards 580, but I don't think the numbers will be too harmful to the overall traffic flow of the area.

The GGB is a very heavy commuter route.  Marin has lots of bedroom communities for S.F.  The closure made the national news summary every 20 minutes on NPR, especially surprising in view of the competing headlines from France right now.

I've always thought of the GGB as being like our 520. Pretty important, but can close if necessary without harming the well-being of the citizens. Is that a poor comparison?

Well, in some ways it's good... both heavily commuter routes.  But in other ways poor.  GGB is bigger, 6 lanes, 4 lanes in the dominant commuter direction.  GGB also carries more noncommuter traffic from S.F. to the north coast of California.  More important, 520's alternate route is I-90 only about 2 miles away as the crow flies, or Bothell Way about 4 miles away.  GGB's alternate route via the San Rafael Bridge then the Bay Bridge is about an extra 15 miles across two long-span bridges through roads that are seriously backed up most of the time even when the GGB is open.