The bridge, like other infrastructure, has a lifespan. But Bauer and Mohn say with proper maintenance, the Golden Gate Bridge will endure. The retrofit project alone will buy the span another 150 years, Bauer estimated.

The net saved the lives of 19 workers, who called themselves the “Halfway to Hell Club.” Ten of the 11 fatalities occurred in a single accident on February 17, 1937, when a 5-ton work platform broke apart from the bridge and fell through the safety net.

1965

Bridges are designed to sway, bounce, expand, and contract, reacting much like saplings; a rigid bridge would act more like a mature tree. Bridges also have expansion joints built in to address the expansion and contraction due to changes in temperature.

How much does the Mackinac Bridge “swing” or “sway” in the wind? Answer: All suspension bridges are designed to move to accommodate wind, change in temperature, and weight. It is possible that the deck at center span could move as much as 35 feet (east or west) due to high winds.

Most suspension bridges have a truss system built into them beneath the road to keep it more rigid and less apt to sway and twist. But suspension bridges have to be somewhat flexible during high winds. Otherwise, they may break.

When hit by heavy winds, they would shake themselves apart. Today, the structures have thicker, rigid decks. They’re unlikely to sway. Suspension bridges seem like marvels of modern engineering.

Another disadvantage of suspension bridges is the material used which are the cables. These cables have limitations when it comes to bearing the weight of loads. Although it can allow a minimal weight with regard to vehicles passing through, too much weight can lead to the breaking of cables.

86c. 1935

The weight placed on a beam bridge is pressed directly downward, toward any underneath support, which makes the middle portion of the bridge the weakest.