Golden Gate Bridge Main Cable Cross-Section

The display you are looking at reveals the hidden secret behind the Golden Gate Bridge. While the bridge appears as a solid, monolithic structure from a distance, its massive main cables are actually composed of 27,572 individual strands of galvanized steel wire. These wires, each about the thickness of a pencil, are bundled together and compacted by massive hydraulic presses to form a cable just over three feet in diameter. If you were to unwind all the wire used in both main cables, the total length would stretch for 80,000 miles, enough to circle the Earth three times. This intricate, bundle-based design provides the bridge with the immense strength and flexibility needed to support its own weight and the constant movement of traffic above the treacherous waters of the strait.