Residents in the Bay Area said they can hear sounds from the 83-year-old bridge as far as three miles away.

Part of the project includes replacing handrails on the west sidewalk with new, thinner vertical slats so that more air can flow through.

A Bridge District spokesperson told CNN that the adaptations were “necessary to ensure the safety and structural integrity of the bridge for generations to come”.

One resident described the noise as like “a loud didgeridoo or meditation song being played all around us”.