Imagine
a heavy chain of concrete barriers snaking over the Golden
Gate, definitively separating the cars hurtling northward
from the cars whistling southbound a mere foot or two away.
Or imagine high-tech cameras and radar tracking your progress
over the span-and then imagine getting a citation in the
mail for your speedy travel, with a hefty fine due. Both
these scenarios could become reality: The Golden Gate Bridge
Board of Directors approved a pair of measures yesterday
intended to make the historic span less deadly to the people
who drive across it. The unanimous votes came 2 1/2 weeks
after a head-on collision on the bridge killed 38 year-old
Tamar Kraut of San Francisco, a psychologist and HMO executive.
The 10 car pileup created an hours long traffic jam and
put pressure on the district to take action.
Yesterday, the
board agreed to spend $42,500 toward the crash testing of
a barrier made by Barrier Systems of Nevada and an additional
$50,000 on feasibility studies. "I hope it works! Let's
get on with it," said district General Manager Carney
Campion. More than a decade ago, the district rejected Barrier
Systems' original all concrete design because it took up
too much room on the narrow roadbed. The revamped version
uses steel, which makes it sleek but more expensive. The
system includes the steel and concrete divider, machines
to move it and a guidance system. It will cost about $6.5
million, compared with $4.1 million for the company's concrete
only design. Ed Wood, the company's director of business
development, said that if everything goes smoothly, the
barrier could be on the bridge next summer.
District officials
said they will seek federal funding for the project if it
passes the hurdles ahead. The second measure approved yesterday
directs bridge staff to seek legislative changes that would
put teeth into enforcing the 45 mph speed limit. In addition
to wanting radar and high-tech cameras to catch speeders,
the district-borrowing an idea that is helping to wash away
Highway 37's "blood alley" moniker-wants the state
to triple the fine for any violation on the bridge, whether
a driver is ticketed for speeding or tailgating.
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