The bridge — opened in 1937 — has two main cables that pass over the tops of the two main towers and are secured at either end in giant anchorages. They are the steel strings that hold the bridge together and support the roadway.
“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.
Each of the 3-foot diameter cables is made up of 27,572 individual galvanized steel wires wrapped inside a casing, which is painted for protection from the harsh elements. The length of one main cable is 7,650 feet, and 80,000 miles of individual wires were used in their construction. Along with the suspender cables and accessories, the main cables weigh 24,500 tons.
While the cables are tested for strength, they have not been completely painted in more than 70 years.
Once the scaffolding arrives midspan and is set up in the coming weeks, crews will embark on the three-year project, which will include cleaning the exterior of the main cable and roughing the surface so new sealing paint can be applied, as well as making any additional repairs.
The work will begin on the west side main cable. Scaffolding will be erected along the 400-foot-long segment from midspan south toward San Francisco. Workers will then work in 60-foot segments underneath a tarp that will keep lead paint chips coming off the cables from spreading.
They will spend up to six months renovating the 400-foot section. The scaffolding will be disassembled and reassembled along a 400-foot-long segment heading north from midspan toward Marin. Workers will then renovate that segment for another six months. In the coming two years, the rest of the cables will be renovated as well.
While this work is under way on the west side cable, the fixed scaffolding will reduce the west sidewalk width from 10 feet to seven feet for the 400-foot stretch. Bicyclists may be asked to walk their bikes through the work area.
The scaffolding is costing the district $100,000. Initially the district had planned to contract the work out at a cost of $30 million, but will now rely on its own workers for 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.
Via: www.mercurynews.com U.K. Edition
TWO men have been arrested after scaffolding was stolen from outside a house in Hapsford.
Police arrested a 14-year-old from Elton, and a 20-year-old male from Ellesmere Port, after the scaffolding went missing from a house being renovated on Friday (February 18) afternoon.
Both men, who live on caravan sites in the area, are set to appear before Chester Magistrates on Wednesday, March 9. 
Linda Clarke, Professor of European Industrial Relations at Westminster University, is calling for former or retired builders to contact her for the oral history project.
“The work of architects in the 50s and 60s is pretty well known”, said Professor Clarke.
“There are plenty of sound archives in the British Library about archi tects. But very little has been recorded about the builders. Yet they were equally proud of their achievements and concerned with the quality of their work.”
The history project has been funded by the Leverhulme Foundation and will record the lives of 50 or 60 workers.
Veteran construction worker Vic Heath, now in his 70s, has already been interviewed. He was a leading communist and was a scaffolder on the Barbican estate development who later became a shop steward with Camden Council’s Direct Labour force.
There were many disputes among the men working on the Barbican development. They held the first ever action over the handling by workers of deadly asbestos. They were not paid well compared to today and there were disputes over bonuses.
Professor Clarke added: “There was little in the way of the health and safety regime that we know today. That didn’t come in until 1974.”
Construction teams were often made up from sizeable pockets of Irish, Caribbean and Sikh labour. If you worked on the Barbican estate, South Bank arts centre, Stevenage New Town, Sizewell A power station, or the Northfleet power station, please email Professor Clarke at 
RESIDENTS in Coltness, Wishaw, have raised concerns after what they feared was “unsafe” scaffolding had been erected around a block of flats.
The householders contacted the Wishaw Press regarding the scaffolding around a block in Coldstream Crescent at the weekend.
They claim the scaffolding poses a potential risk to children as it is easy for them to climb up.
They say the bottom rung is just two feet off the ground.
However, council bosses say the scaffolding complied with Health and Safety rules.
It was due to be taken down yesterday (Tuesday) as we went to press.
A resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “Last September a five-year-old boy was seriously injured after falling from similar scaffolding on another block nearby.
“He fractured his skull and also broke his wrist.
“I think this was because the scaffolding – like the latest set to be put up – was far too easy to access.
“I believe that the bottom rung should be at least six feet off the ground and accessible only with ladders and by the people who should be carrying out work.
“That way children – who through natural curiosity are drawn to construction sites – would be unable to climb up the scaffold and potential accidents would be avoided.”
The resident continued: “On the previous occasion the scaffold was erected for quite some time before any work was carried out.
“This latest lot was put up on Saturday and by late Monday afternoon I hadn’t witnessed anyone carrying out any work there.
“Hopefully, the work will be completed and the scaffolding taken away promptly.
“The last thing we want to see is another youngster getting seriously injured.”
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said: “The scaffolding was put up on Sunday and the work will be completed and the scaffolding removed by Tuesday (yesterday) afternoon.
“As with all other scaffolding work, it was erected in accordance with Health and Safety guidelines.”