SAN RAFAEL, CA -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) announced the release of more than $1.6 million for the ongoing seismic retrofitting of the Golden Gate Bridge from the U.S. Department of Transportation. This is the last installment of the $4.5 million Pelosi and Woolsey secured in the fiscal year 2004 Omnibus spending bill.

"The Golden Gate Bridge is a landmark of national significance and deserving of significant national funding," Pelosi said. "These funds will help ensure that in case of an earthquake many lives will be saved, and this beloved national symbol will survive."

"We have much to do to improve transportation for Marin and Sonoma County, but if the Golden Gate Bridge is effected by an earthquake or terrorist attack, then traffic in the entire North Bay will be tied up," said Rep. Woolsey. "The Golden Gate Bridge is a vital traffic artery for the North Bay and these funds will go towards the completion of the third and final phase of the seismic retrofit project."

Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit measures are designed to tune and strengthen the bridge to minimize damage caused by the ground motions of an earthquake. These funds will support the third and final phase of the Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project that will retrofit the suspension span, towers, south pier and fender, north pier, north anchorage, and north pylon. Phase III construction will take place over a four-year period beginning in January 2005 and is estimated to create 1,240 jobs in areas such as materials fabrication, shipping, and construction.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a critical transportation link in the San Francisco Bay area that carries 42 million vehicles and is visited by more than 10 million people annually. However, it remains vulnerable to earthquakes and could fail during an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 or greater on the nearby San Andreas or Hayward faults. This construction project, which is well underway, will retrofit the Golden Gate Bridge to withstand earthquakes up to magnitude 8.3.