Golden Gate Bridge Never Closes? Unveiling the Enduring Value of Landmarks and Digital Assets

Since its opening in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge has almost never been fully closed to the public. This suspension bridge spans the entire San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean’s Golden Gate Strait, serving as an essential transportation hub connecting San Francisco with northern cities. When asked how long the bridge could last, its chief engineer Joseph Strauss replied, “Forever.”

Current Status of the Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is currently open to visitors 24/7 year-round. As a symbol and landmark of San Francisco, it is not only a bridge but also a living engineering marvel.

Many American movies and TV shows have been filmed here. According to travel platform information, visitors are advised to stay 1-2 hours to fully appreciate its spectacular scenery. The northern side of the bridge is an ideal spot for panoramic photos, with its vibrant orange-red arch structure appearing more mysterious in foggy weather; the southern side is better suited for close-up shots of the water surface and the bridge itself.

Structural Maintenance

The long-term openness of the Golden Gate Bridge is no accident. Since its opening, the bridge has undergone multiple upgrades and renovations. The maintenance team includes engineers, steelworkers, electricians, and painters, among other specialists. They have made tremendous efforts to ensure the bridge’s continuous operation.

Major maintenance work includes: adding supports beneath the deck to reduce twisting in strong winds, replacing parts of the deck structure, individually replacing 500 vertical suspension cables, and installing seismic retrofit facilities from one end to the other. Continuous anti-corrosion work is carried out, with the iconic international orange color used for repainting this historic structure, maintaining its appearance while preventing corrosion.

Safety Monitoring

The safety monitoring system of the Golden Gate Bridge is highly advanced. Sensors measuring movement are installed throughout the bridge to monitor its response to wind, earthquakes, traffic loads, and temperature changes. The data provided by these sensors helps engineers identify and address potential issues promptly. The bridge is designed to last over 100 years, and with regular maintenance and upkeep, it is expected to continue serving as an important transportation link for many years.

The bridge can withstand strong seismic activity and performs well during earthquakes. Its seismic design ensures safety during such events.

Visiting Experience

For visitors, the Golden Gate Bridge offers various ways to experience it. If time permits, renting a bicycle to cross the entire bridge provides a more unique perspective.

The best viewing spots include Fort Point on the southern side of the bridge, Vista Point near Sausalito, and Battery Spencer on the northwest side of the northern shore. The northern side is ideal for panoramic shots, while the southern side, due to its angle and height, is better suited for close-ups of the water surface and the bridge structure.

The Long-Term Value Mechanism of Digital Assets

Just as the Golden Gate Bridge maintains its long-term value through ongoing maintenance, the Gate token employs a deflationary strategy to enhance its long-term value. Since its inception, the platform has eliminated 50% of its initial 4.2 quadrillion tokens, effectively removing 2.1 quadrillion tokens from circulation.

This strategy aims to boost demand and create market scarcity, similar to how the Golden Gate Bridge maintains its unique value through upkeep. Additional token burns include the removal of 690 billion tokens in December 2024, worth approximately $5.5 million.

Gate Token Market Performance and Forecast

According to Gate market data, as of January 20, 2016, GateToken (GT) is priced at approximately $10, with a 24-hour trading volume of about $707,000, and a total market capitalization of around $1 billion. The current circulating supply is 100.35 million GT, about 33.45% of the maximum supply of 300 million, with a fully diluted market cap of approximately $3 billion. Overall market sentiment is optimistic.

In the short to medium term, market expectations for GT’s price are relatively cautious. If prices remain stable with moderate fluctuations over the next year, GT’s upside potential will largely depend on platform expansion, ecosystem application deployment, and overall market risk appetite, with limited short-term profit elasticity.

Looking at the long-term perspective, GT’s intrinsic value still mainly hinges on the development of the Gate exchange ecosystem. As trading volume, user base, and ecosystem products continue to grow, the internal value of GT in terms of fee discounts, platform benefits, and ecosystem empowerment is expected to gradually be realized. Some long-term models suggest that GT’s price could steadily rise over the next few years, with long-term potential returns significantly higher than current levels. However, market cycles and regulatory changes in the crypto industry remain uncertainties to watch.

Dual Manifestation of Enduring Value

Both the Golden Gate Bridge and Gate tokens embody the concept of lasting value through different mechanisms. The Golden Gate Bridge ensures its structural integrity through physical maintenance and technological upgrades, while Gate tokens create scarcity through economic models and token burns. Both face changing environments: the bridge must withstand natural elements and increasing traffic, while Gate tokens must navigate market volatility and regulatory shifts.

Bridge workers take pride in maintaining this vital transportation route and iconic landmark, just as participants in the Gate ecosystem strive to build a durable digital store of value.

When visitors stand on the viewpoint at the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, looking at this nearly 90-year-old structure still majestically spanning the bay, they see more than just a bridge—they see a promise fulfilled—a commitment to durability. At the same moment, on the other side of the digital world, the token burn mechanism of Gate quietly operates, with each burned token reinforcing another kind of “bridge”—a bridge connecting present and future value. The physical bridge’s 27,572 parallel steel wires and the records of digital asset burns tell the same story: true value withstands the test of time.