5 ms·

The Cost of the Golden Gate Bridge (1937) vs. Its Suicide Deterrent Net (2023)

slater 3y ago
[flagged]
- the_bookmaker 3y ago
  [flagged]
  - slater 3y ago
    [flagged]
    - dang 3y ago
      Could you please stop posting unsubstantive comments and flamebait? It's not what this site is for, and destroys what it is for. This has unfortunately been a problem for a long time: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32131026 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32131026 (July 2022) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29397419 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29397419 (Nov 2021) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28940067 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28940067 (Oct 2021) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28940061 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28940061 (Oct 2021) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20253781 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20253781 (June 2019) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18063736 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18063736 (Sept 2018) We have to ban accounts that keep ignoring such requests. I don't want to ban you. If you wouldn't mind reviewing https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and taking the intended spirit of the site more to heart, we'd be grateful.
labrador 3y ago
This is kind of simple to put in perspective. How much would it cost to build the Golden Gate Bridge in 2023, then take today's cost of the net and figure out what percentage of that it is. It's probably a small percentage now and would have been in the 1930's
- the_bookmaker 3y ago
  The point being made is that the cost of building things has increased a lot.
  - labrador 3y ago
    [flagged]
    - junofan 3y ago
      I think most data points to delays rather than worker’s compensation as the big cost driver. Time is money. The net project isn’t even completed yet.
    - the_bookmaker 3y ago
      The 1937 number is already inflation-adjusted. I'd be curious to know how much the real wages have changed since then though. It seems that in the US as whole, it hasn't changed much in the last 50 years or so. [1] However, the data doesn't go back to 1937, and it's for the entire US (not California in particular). [1]: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/50-years-of-us-wages-in-one-chart/ https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/50-years-of-us-wages-...
    - dang 3y ago
      Can you please skip the flamebait when posting here? We're trying for something different, and would appreciate the help. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
      - labrador 3y ago
        Yes. I will stop with these kinds of comments ("hurr durr", "musk sh*tposter") because I didn't realize this kind of talk was discouraged. I can say it in a better way. Thanks for the feedback. Edit: I think you do a good job moderating this site so I'm sorry to have caused you an issue.
sema4hacker 3y ago
$700 million in 1937 is like $14.86 billion now. $400 million now is like $18.8 million in 1937.
- junofan 3y ago
  $700m is the inflation-adjusted figure FYI. The Golden Gate Bridge cost something like $30m at the time.
- mikhailfranco 3y ago
  There is a note in the image saying inflation adjusted. In fact, the quoted $700m is a generous figure. Wikipedia says original cost was $35m budget ($550m in 2021): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge#Construction https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge#Construct... Another contrast with today: it was completed ahead of schedule and under budget (which is also mentioned in another footnote).
k310 3y ago
I don’t put a price on human life. 11 died during the construction of the bridge, which had a safety net. https://www.resetsanfrancisco.org/faq/how-many-people-died-during-the-construction-of-the-golden-gate-bridge/ https://www.resetsanfrancisco.org/faq/how-many-people-died-d... From 1937 to 2012, there were 1400 suicides. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicides_at_the_Golden_Gate_Bridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicides_at_the_Golden_Gate_Br...
cghilarducci 3y ago
You can literally put a price on human life that is what insurance companies do. Also, the government does the same thing. FEMA estimates the value of statical life to be $11.6M which is a generous figure. Most western countries estimate between $1M - $10M. I will say it might be cheaper if they invested in preventing someone from getting to point they would consider suicide. Anyways, $10M * 30 people, you are looking at $300 million. You can look up the Value of Statistical Life (VSL) here. https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_standard-economic-values-methodology-report_092022.pdf https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_stan...

[flagged]

the_bookmaker 3y ago
[flagged]
- slater 3y ago
  [flagged]
  - dang 3y ago
    Could you please stop posting unsubstantive comments and flamebait? It's not what this site is for, and destroys what it is for. This has unfortunately been a problem for a long time: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32131026 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32131026 (July 2022) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29397419 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29397419 (Nov 2021) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28940067 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28940067 (Oct 2021) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28940061 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28940061 (Oct 2021) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20253781 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20253781 (June 2019) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18063736 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18063736 (Sept 2018) We have to ban accounts that keep ignoring such requests. I don't want to ban you. If you wouldn't mind reviewing https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and taking the intended spirit of the site more to heart, we'd be grateful.

This is kind of simple to put in perspective. How much would it cost to build the Golden Gate Bridge in 2023, then take today's cost of the net and figure out what percentage of that it is. It's probably a small percentage now and would have been in the 1930's

the_bookmaker 3y ago
The point being made is that the cost of building things has increased a lot.
- labrador 3y ago
  [flagged]
  - junofan 3y ago
    I think most data points to delays rather than worker’s compensation as the big cost driver. Time is money. The net project isn’t even completed yet.
  - the_bookmaker 3y ago
    The 1937 number is already inflation-adjusted. I'd be curious to know how much the real wages have changed since then though. It seems that in the US as whole, it hasn't changed much in the last 50 years or so. [1] However, the data doesn't go back to 1937, and it's for the entire US (not California in particular). [1]: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/50-years-of-us-wages-in-one-chart/ https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/50-years-of-us-wages-...
  - dang 3y ago
    Can you please skip the flamebait when posting here? We're trying for something different, and would appreciate the help. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
    - labrador 3y ago
      Yes. I will stop with these kinds of comments ("hurr durr", "musk sh*tposter") because I didn't realize this kind of talk was discouraged. I can say it in a better way. Thanks for the feedback. Edit: I think you do a good job moderating this site so I'm sorry to have caused you an issue.

sema4hacker 3y ago

$700 million in 1937 is like $14.86 billion now. $400 million now is like $18.8 million in 1937.

junofan 3y ago
$700m is the inflation-adjusted figure FYI. The Golden Gate Bridge cost something like $30m at the time.
mikhailfranco 3y ago
There is a note in the image saying inflation adjusted. In fact, the quoted $700m is a generous figure. Wikipedia says original cost was $35m budget ($550m in 2021): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge#Construction https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge#Construct... Another contrast with today: it was completed ahead of schedule and under budget (which is also mentioned in another footnote).

k310 3y ago

I don’t put a price on human life. 11 died during the construction of the bridge, which had a safety net. https://www.resetsanfrancisco.org/faq/how-many-people-died-during-the-construction-of-the-golden-gate-bridge/ https://www.resetsanfrancisco.org/faq/how-many-people-died-d... From 1937 to 2012, there were 1400 suicides. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicides_at_the_Golden_Gate_Bridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicides_at_the_Golden_Gate_Br...

cghilarducci 3y ago

You can literally put a price on human life that is what insurance companies do. Also, the government does the same thing. FEMA estimates the value of statical life to be $11.6M which is a generous figure. Most western countries estimate between $1M - $10M. I will say it might be cheaper if they invested in preventing someone from getting to point they would consider suicide. Anyways, $10M * 30 people, you are looking at $300 million. You can look up the Value of Statistical Life (VSL) here. https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_standard-economic-values-methodology-report_092022.pdf https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_stan...