Engineers to fix Golden Gate Bridge's strange 'humming' sound in 2022

Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Spanning majestically across the San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most famous and picturesque sights on the West Coast -- but for two years, it's also been emitting a strange sound that will finally be silenced in the coming months.

Construction in 2020 to stabilize the bridge during strong winds installed thin slats between the handrail and driving deck. But in those gusty winds, the slats have given the bridge an unexpected and unwanted side effect -- a strange, and some say eerie, humming sound.

Scientists have now come up with a way to silence the hum.

In 2022, crews will make another addition to the bridge -- thousands of U-shaped aluminum clips, about an eighth of an inch with rubber inserts, which will silence the hum.

Officials said the work will take about six months and should be completed sometime in late 2022. It will cost about $450,000.

The fix will be music to the ears of thousands of San Franciscans.

"Yesterday, it was so loud. We live in the Outer Richmond and we could hear it from our house," resident Brianne Howell told KPIX-TV.

Built during the 1930s, the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most photographed bridges in the world. It was designated a California Historical Landmark in 1987 and received a similar designation from the city in 1999.