Fourth Grade
Worksheets
A Bridge Across the Bay
Bridges are a very common part of travel. Even a short trip in a car - or on foot - can cross a bridge. Bridges have many purposes. Some of the smallest bridges are footbridges that cross a small stream or pond. Other bridges allow cars to cross other roads. Some bridges cross wide rivers. Some bridges go all the way across lakes or bays.
One such big bridge is one of the most photographed bridges in the world. It's the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. This big suspension bridge joins the two sides of San Francisco Bay at the Golden Gate Strait. In the early 1900s, there was no way to get across the San Francisco Bay except by boat. To get from one side of the Bay to the other took a twenty-minute boat ride.
People wanted a faster way to get across the bay. Most people said the distance was too far for a bridge. Many experts said building a bridge that long was impossible. An engineer named Joseph Strauss did not agree. He said a bridge could be built across the Bay.
