Millions OKd for Bridge Project

Congress has approved more than $4 million in new seismic retrofit funding for the Golden Gate Bridge, although the bulk of the project will still have to be paid from local funds, officials said.

Democratic Reps. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, Mike Thompson of Napa Valley and Lynn Woolsey of Petaluma said the $4.25 million in federal funds will be used to complete the project’s second phase, which involves upgrading the bridge’s south viaduct and pylons and the Fort Point Arch to withstand a major earthquake.

“The completion of this phase of the project will go a long way to ensure the structural integrity of the bridge in the event of earthquake and possible terrorist attack,” Woolsey said.

The Golden Gate Bridge is vulnerable to earthquakes along the San Andreas and Hayward faults. Although the bridge was not damaged during the magnitude-7.1 Loma Prieta earthquake that shook the Bay Area in 1989, engineers determined that temblor was the strongest the national landmark could tolerate.

The complete retrofit is expected to cost about $388 million, and the new allocation from the U.S. Department of Transportation brings the federal government’s contribution so far to $40 million. The rest of the project has been financed by local funds.

About 42 million cars cross the bridge each year, and it draws more than 10 million visitors annually, according to the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District.