Construction begins on $211M Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier

Maintenance of the Golden Gate Bridge is a year-round endeavor, with

Maintenance of the Golden Gate Bridge is a year-round endeavor, with approximately 200 employees, including ironworkers, electricians and painters, on hand to keep the span operational and ready for the tourists who visit from all over the world.

Unfortunately, a significant number of other U.S. bridges don't receive that kind of attention. The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) reported earlier this year, using U.S. Department of Transportation data, that 30% of the country's 612,677 bridges needed some kind of repair work done and that 9% were structurally deficient. The bridges in the most urgent need of repair were about 25 years beyond their useful lives.

States and the federal government manage to squeeze out some funding for bridge work, but in January, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) proposed the $75 billion Bridge Investment Act, which would pay for a 10-year, competitive federal grant program so that states could make more repairs. The bill immediately gained industry support and was last referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

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Construction begins on $211M Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier