Name: Golden Gate Bridge’s new hum louder than expected; officials explore options to fix handrails
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Golden Gate Bridge’s new hum louder than expected; officials explore options to fix handrails

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Golden Gate Bridge engineers knew the span might sing once its new handrails were installed, but they never expected the bridge to as it does on profoundly windy days.With the graceful bridge becoming known for its discordant tune, as well as its famously good looks, bridge officials told the district’s Board of Directors last week that they’re trying to tone down the noise a bit.The eerie sound, sort of a mix between a hum, a whistle and a screech, emerges when strong northwesterly winds across the bridge blow through slender new handrails that were installed on the west side of the span. The construction was part of a project to make the Golden Gate more aerodynamic and able to withstand winds of up to up to 100 mph, as opposed to 68 mph with the old, thicker rails.A miniature model of the bridge — with its svelte new railings — was tested in a wind tunnel, and bridge officials who planned the wind retrofit realized then that it might create what they’ve called a hum or a song.Golden Gate Bridge“We thought there could be a sound created, but our tests and analysis never told us it would be quite so loud under specific high winds,” said Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, a bridge district spokesman.Residents living as far as 3 miles away have described the sound as more of a racket. Twitter was flooded with complaints when the bridge made its operatic debut on a gusty June 5.“It’s crazy making,” tweeted San Franciscan Ray Ryan. Several video and audio recordings were also made and quickly spread across the internet.We can heat this in our house more than three miles away from the bridge. It's crazy making.— Ray Ryan (@rjrjr)Although the sound emanates from the bridge only occasionally, complaints from the public have been surprisingly persistent. In response, bridge officials have engaged the help of sound consultants and are digging deeper to uncover when and how the phenomenon occurs.Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Area’s largest water districts.“The first step is really to understand how and why the sound is being created,” Cosulich-Schwartz said.Engineers will then devise a plan “to potentially dampen or eliminate the sound,” he said. While the engineers and consultants are starting efforts to get rid of the hum, there’s no set date to finish the work.“It will take a little bit of time,” he said.Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: Twitter:Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Area’s largest water districts.

Golden Gate Bridge engineers knew the span might sing once its new handrails were installed, but they never expected the bridge to as it does on profoundly windy days.With the graceful bridge becoming known for its discordant tune, as well as its famously good looks, bridge officials told the district’s Board of Directors last week that they’re trying to tone down the noise a bit.The eerie sound, sort of a mix between a hum, a whistle and a screech, emerges when strong northwesterly winds across the bridge blow through slender new handrails that were installed on the west side of the span....

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Michael Cabanatuan is a general assignment, breaking news reporter. He previously covered all things transportation for the San Francisco Chronicle — from BART strikes, acrobatic bridge construction and dark dirty tunnel excavations to the surging ridership on public transportation and the increasing conflict as cars, bikes and pedestrians struggle to coexist on the streets.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/author/michael-cabanatuan/

Michael Cabanatuan

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Golden Gate Bridge’s new hum louder than expected; officials explore options to fix handrails

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