Contractors working on the Golden Gate Bridge Physical Deterrent and Wind Improvement Project in San Francisco recently reached a milestone with the completion of barriers along the entire 1.7-mile span, according to the owner, the Golden Gate Bridge Freeway and Transportation District. Work on the rest of the project is expected to be completed in 2027.
The bulk of the barrier consists of marine-grade steel mesh 20 feet below and 20 feet from each side of the bridge. Instead, some portions have vertical fencing or a combination of both due to design and construction factors, according to the bridge district.
The scope of work also includes the replacement of a “traveler” system under the bridge used for maintenance access, in addition to the construction of wind upgrades. Additional netting will be installed under the bridge to replace the fence once work on the travel system is complete, as such work requires unobstructed access through the netting, according to the bridge district. Shimmick/Danny’s Joint Venture, a partnership of Construction Co. Inc. and Danny’s Construction Co. LLC, is the prime contractor.
Work was initially expected to be completed in 2021, but the project has faced several delays and overruns. The contract was originally worth $142 million when the bridge district awarded it to Shimmick/Danny’s in 2017. The bridge district now says the total cost of the project is about $224 million, and the contractor has set the price at $398 million.
Those costs and the alleged causes behind them are currently the subject of litigation between the bridge district and the contractors. The lawsuit was originally filed in 2021 by steel supplier Vigor Works LLC against Shimmick/Danny’s. The companies liquidated last yearbut the case between the bridge district and the contractor is ongoing. This month, attorneys told a state judge in San Francisco that they have mediation scheduled for Feb. 21. Otherwise, a trial date has been set for June.
The work has continued despite the difficulties and disagreements, the barrier seems to be already having an impact. According to the bridge district, the net “serves as a symbol of care and hope for the discouraged.” There were 14 confirmed suicides on the bridge last year, compared to an average of 30 per year over the past two decades.
“We’ve never had a bigger project and we’re honored to have had the opportunity to work on the Golden Gate Bridge,” Shimmick CEO Steve Richards said in a statement to ENR last month.
The net is also designed to be painful to jump through as an additional deterrent, and anyone who jumps into it can be seriously injured. The bridge district has been working with local lifeguards on net rescues. Bridge district officials say they have already performed several net rescues, and the bridge district is building a replica net at a fire training facility in Mill Valley, Calif., to help first responders prepare- se for future rescues.
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