On Monday, April 15, 2024, at just before 8 a.m., a group of protestors parked their vehicles in the southbound lanes of the Bridge roadway, blocking all southbound traffic lanes. Several protesters used metal devices to attach themselves to their vehicles and other protesters.
Golden Gate Bridge Patrol officers were on scene within minutes and law enforcement support was dispatched immediately, arriving shortly thereafter. In order for law enforcement to safely respond to the protest, all northbound vehicle lanes and sidewalks of the Golden Gate Bridge were closed. Bridge District staff could not perform a lane reconfiguration using the moveable median barrier because cars in the southbound lanes blocked the path of the zipper truck.
In a coordinated effort, Bridge District staff along with law enforcement and fire department partners worked to resolve the protest as quickly as possible while prioritizing the safety of the public and staff. Due to the number of protestors and methods used, removing the protesters took several hours. After protesters were peacefully removed, and at the request of the California Highway Patrol, Bridge District staff towed multiple protestors’ vehicles off the Bridge. The Bridge roadway and sidewalks were then fully reopened at approximately 12:15 p.m., several hours before similar protests on I-880 were resolved.
California Highway Patrol reported that twenty-six people were arrested for illegally stopping traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge and were transported via bus to the San Francisco Hall of Justice for booking. Thank you to our law enforcement and first responder partners for their timely support and response to the protest.
To facilitate travel in the Highway 101 corridor during the protest, Golden Gate Transit buses unable to cross the Bridge were rerouted to Golden Gate Ferry terminals and East Bay BART stations, allowing our customers to reach their destinations by ferry or train. This effort helped our bus customers avoid extended delays and reduced traffic on Highway 101 when the Bridge was reopened.
We recognize that the April 15 protest created significant delays and inconvenience for many of our customers traveling between San Francisco and the North Bay, and we want to thank the public for their patience as we worked to safely reopen the Bridge.
The District supports lawful expressive activities at the Golden Gate Bridge that are organized in accordance with the rules and regulations set forth in the District's Master Ordinance. Individuals and organizations that wish to obtain a permit for expressive activities may do so at goldengate.org/expressive-activity-permit.