The zipper barrier replaces a series of plastic cylinders requiring manual movement at the beginning and end of each peak period, costs include equipment, training, and labor.
San Francisco, California, United States
The Golden Gate Bridge suffers from congestion during peak periods. One solution to alleviate directional congestion is reversible lanes. Reversible lanes were first deployed on the Golden Gate Bridge in 1963, but the moveable barrier was a series of plastic cylinders. The barrier provided no protection against cars veering off of the median. A 1.7-mile-long "zipper" barrier system was deployed to replace the plastic cylinders. The zipper barrier is movable by a large machine and provides a sturdier barrier between directions of traffic than the previous solution.
Cost
Installation of a 1.7-mile-long movable barrier (a "zipper" system) on the Golden Gate Bridge cost $30 million, including equipment, training and labor.
It's Time to Reverse Our Thinking on Reversible Lanes
A 1.7-mile-long movable zipper barrier cost $30 million.
