The Golden Gate Bridge Moveable Median Barrier

The Golden Gate Bridge is an iconic structure in San Francisco, California, handling an average of 112,00 vehicles per day. Before 2015, southbound and northbound traffic was separated by plastic tubes adjusted throughout the day to accommodate traffic patterns.

Ghilotti Bros. was hired to realign the lane configurations for the installation of a new movable median barrier. Our professionalism and planning had to be at their highest when communicating and coordinating with the adjacent agencies to ensure the safety of the crew and commuters.

Highway 101 is a Caltrans facility. The Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District and The Presidio control the part of the highway that our team worked on. Closing the Golden Gate Bridge and coordinating lane closures with all parties involved was a unique challenge.

Our work included:

• Roadwork and modifications to accommodate the installation of moveable median barrier at the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge and the Bridge South and North approaches
• Demolition of four toll booths, toll plaza canopy, and toll islands
• Construction of new toll booth, island, and canopy
• Seismic retrofit of the toll booths and canopy structure
• Removal and installation of crash cushions
• Removal of concrete median barrier
• Removal and reconstruction of the median pavement
• Modifications to existing and installation of new drainage facilities
• HMA pavement and HMA dike construction
• Striping and pavement delineation
• Installation of roadside signs and metal beam guardrail
• Demolition and installation of electrical facilities at the toll booths and canopy
• Demolition and installation of transportation operations systems
• Construction traffic control

In total, we installed 356 LF of drain culvert, paved 1,854 tons of asphalt at the north approach, placed 380 LF of concrete barrier, and removed 1,351 ea pylon holes. We finished ahead of schedule on January 10, 2015, making the Golden Gate Bridge safer for drivers.