Western sidewalk of Golden Gate Bridge opening back up for cyclists Sept. 10

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After four months of jostling around each other in cramped and crowded conditions, bicyclists and pedestrians will finally get a little space to operate on the Golden Gate Bridge. 

On Sept. 10, the western sidewalk of the famed span will reopen, after being shuttered since May 31 due to construction.  Bicyclists, after sharing the eastern sidewalk with tourists, pedestrians and sightseers, will now be able to use the western sidewalk without the interference of walkers.  The west sidewalk will now be open 24 hours a day and seven days a week. 

Although the west sidewalk will be open, it won’t give cyclists the green light to try and set new speed records on the span.  Because there is still some construction happening on the west sidewalk, bicyclists will be asked to walk their wares along a 400-foot section of the bridge during the weekday hours of 7 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.

While the west sidewalk will be back in action, the eastern sidewalk is poised to undergo a makeover of its own.  Starting on September 13, crews will be retrofitting the span’s northern anchorage, so pedestrians will not be able to cross the entire bridge.  A 300-foot section of the bridge will be shut down, but walkers will be allowed to walk 1.4 miles from the span’s southern entrance, before they’ll be forced to turn around.  Walkers entering from the northern side will only get about 700 feet before they have to turn around.