Golden Gate Bridge Officials Approve Moveable Concrete Median
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District's board of directors voted Friday morning to accept the final design and approve the purchase and installation of a moveable median barrier on the bridge.
The 14 board members who were at the meeting voted unanimously for the project, district spokeswoman Mary Currie said.
The barrier was intended to approve safety and minimize cross-over, head-on accidents on the bridge.
There were 306 collisions with 83 injuries on the Golden Gate Bridge between 2006 and 2010, an accident rate of 0.85 per million vehicles, Currie said.
The last head-on fatality was in July 2001, Currie said.
The system will consist of 12-inch-wide, 32-inch-high and 39-inch-long steel-clad units filled with high-density concrete pinned together to form a semi-rigid moveable barrier.
The project also includes two barrier transfer "zipper trucks" that will move the barrier into its various lane configurations.
Currently the lane configurations are made using 19-inch plastic pylons that are spaced 25 feet apart.
Installation was expected to take place during a 52-hour full closure of the bridge on a weekend in late October or early November 2014.
The barrier system cost $26.5 million. It was financed with $20 million from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, $1.3 million in federal funds and $5.1 million from Golden Gate Bridge tolls.
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