Golden Gate cables to get first renovation

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The main cables of San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge are set to be renovated for the first time in the span's 74-year history, officials said.

"We redid the vertical suspender cables in the 1970s and the roadway itself in the 1980s, but this is the first time the main cables will be renovated in this manner," said Mary Currie, bridge district spokeswoman.

The arrival of scaffolding Wednesday will allow workers to prepare to renovate the two massive cables passing over the tops of the two primary towers secured at either end, which hold the bridge in suspension supporting Highway 101 running through it.

The scaffolding is expected to be set up mid-span in the next few weeks, kicking off a project lasting about three years, the Marin Independent Journal reported.

Crews will work to clean and rough the main cables' exterior so sealing paint can be applied.

The scaffolding cost the district $100,000, the newspaper said. Initially the district was going to contract out the work at a cost of $30 million but will now employ its own workers on the project.

"This is a great project for us to take on in-house, especially in the face of the financial challenges that so many public agencies are facing," said Denis Mulligan, bridge general manager.