Officials celebrate bridge’s grant

Federal officials visited San Francisco Monday to celebrate the $400 million grant intended to make the Golden Gate Bridge more seismically resilient.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu joined former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and other leaders at the Round House Cafe at the Golden Gate Bridge Toll Plaza at 10 a.m. for the celebration.

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration announced last month that it was awarding the money to fund the final phase of a seismic retrofit for the bridge, which will focus on the iconic structure’s main span.

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of three bridges across the country that received funding for repairs as part of President Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

“The Federal Highway Administration’s $400 million investment will help ensure that this iconic landmark continues to safely and reliably serve our region for many years to come,” Pelosi said in a previous news release.

Construction for the final project is expected to begin in late 2024 and be completed in 2029, officials said.

Bridge officials are also building a $206.7 million suicide net meant to catch people who jump from the bridge. That project was predicted to be done by the end of 2023.