Tacoma Narrows Bridge (2007)
About
What It Is
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a pair of twin suspension bridges spanning the Tacoma Narrows strait of Puget Sound in Pierce County, Washington [2]. The bridges link the city of Tacoma to the Kitsap Peninsula and carry State Route 16 across the strait [2]. The 2007 span, which opened on July 16, 2007, was built to carry eastbound traffic after population growth on the Kitsap Peninsula caused the older 1950 bridge to exceed its design capacity [2]. Together, the two bridges form the fifth-longest suspension bridge spans in the United States as of 2017 [2].
The site carries historical weight as the location of the original 1940 bridge, nicknamed Galloping Gertie, which collapsed just four months after opening and fundamentally changed the field of bridge aerodynamics and engineering worldwide [2].
Activities & Experiences
Visitors can cross the bridge by vehicle, taking in views of Puget Sound and the Tacoma Narrows strait [2]. The bridge and its dramatic history make it a notable sightseeing and photography destination in the Tacoma area [1]. The story of the 1940 collapse, captured on 16 mm Kodachrome film and later distributed to movie theaters worldwide, gives the crossing a layer of engineering and cultural history that travelers can explore before or after their visit [2].
Practical Access
The bridge carries State Route 16 and is accessible by vehicle [2]. Tolls are collected only from vehicles traveling eastbound, reinstated as part of financing the 2007 twin span [2]. No information on specific toll amounts, hours, or parking facilities is provided in the available sources.
Restrictions
No specific restrictions noted in the sources.
What Makes It Distinctive
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge complex is directly tied to one of the most studied structural failures in engineering history [2]. The 1940 collapse influenced the design of every major long-span suspension bridge built since, and the footage of that event was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress [2]. The 2007 bridge, as part of a twin-span complex, ranks among the longest suspension bridge spans in both the United States and the world, making it an engineering landmark in its own right [2].
Sources
- Open year-round
- Typical duration: 1h
Access & fees
- no westbound toll
- the bridge structure is best experienced from the following public parks: war memorial park, titlow park.
- toll eastbound only
Things to do
- enjoy panoramic puget sound views
- explore the history of the 1940, 1950 and 2007 bridges
- observe suspension-bridge engineering
- scenic drive across tacoma narrows
- sightseeing and photography
- walk across the bridge
Features
- 5th-longest us suspension span
- eastbound span opened 2007
- historic 1940 collapse site
- national film registry footage
- twin suspension bridges
Nearby
- kitsap peninsula
- tacoma, pierce county
Good to know
- via state route 16
Photos
