Eerie sounds wail from Golden Gate Bridge during wind storm
The sound, described anywhere from eerie, to annoying, to even mournful, has been emanating from the bridge on windy days since last summer.
Eerie sounds from Golden Gate Bridge during storm
The Golden Gate Bridge was singing, so to speak, during the storm that slammed into the West Coast on Sunday and Monday.
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco was singing a tune as a significant storm swept Northern California this week, but few were hoping for an encore.
The sound, described anywhere from eerie to annoying to even mournful, has been emanating from the bridge on windy days since last summer. Engineering crews installed a new $12 million redesigned handrail intended to make the bridge more aerodynamic on days when strong winds blow, according to KTVU FOX 2 in San Francisco.
But instead, the air passing through the gaps in the rail hums a haunting tune that can be heard for miles by nearby residents. The spooky serenade has been a frequent occurrence in the months since, but with Sunday's storm, residents and drivers say it was hard to miss as wind gusts of at least 50-55 mph blew through the region.
"We knew going into the handrail replacement that the Bridge would sing during exceptionally high winds from the west,'' Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, spokesman for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, told KTVU FOX 2.
FOX 2 says a solution is in the making, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, as engineers work to create a noise-canceling design.
In the meantime, some noise-canceling headphones may be the interim solution.