University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
PH1473
Photographs of the
Construction of the 1950 Tacoma Narrows Bridge
1948-1950
18 photographs and 1 handwritten document (1
folder)
Collection materials are in
English.
Photographs of
the Tacoma Narrows Bridge being rebuilt after its collapse in 1940.
Construction of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge began in November 1938 and
the bridge opened on July 1, 1940 to public acclaim. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge
was lauded as an essential economic and military portal to Washington state's
Olympic Peninsula, and its completion was called a triumph of man's ingenuity
and perseverance. It had been completed in record time and, with a 2,800-foot
central span, had the third largest span of all suspension bridges in the
world. Immediately upon completion it began swaying in the wind, which earned
it the nickname “Galloping Gertie.” On November 7, 1940, four months after it
opened to the public, the bridge fell in what was later called "the Pearl
Harbor of engineering." A new Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened on October 14, 1950
after 29 months of construction. It was the fifth longest suspension bridge in
the United States. Located on State Route 16 between Tacoma and Gig Harbor, the
bridge is 5,979 feet in length – 40 feet longer than its predecessor. The
Washington State Department of Transportation calls the first Tacoma Narrows
Bridge the "1940 Narrows Bridge." The bridge completed in 1950 is commomly
called the "Current Narrows Bridge." The newest bridge, which commenced
construction in 2002 and was scheduled for completion in 2007, is commonly
called the "2007 Narrows Bridge."
Photos in Conservation Lab, May 2017.
Photographs of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge being rebuilt after its
collapse. Includes a handwritten fact sheet titled "Narrows Bridge Data"
listing dimensions and weights of bridge and various components.
View the digital version of
the collection
Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries' Digital Collections
website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator is required to view
originals.
Request at UW
Status of creator's copyrights is unknown; restrictions may exist on
copying, quotation, or publication. Users are responsible for researching
copyright status before use.
Source: Michael Maslan, February 20, 2016.
Processed by Molly Bishop, April 2017.
Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Tacoma, Wash. : 1950- )--Design and construction--Photographs
Suspension bridges--Design and construction--Washington (State)--Tacoma Narrows--Photographs
Photographs
Tacoma
Transportation
1
1
Machine holding strands of suspension cables during the
construction of the Current Tacoma Narrows Bridge
between 1948 and
1950
1
2-4
Workers on catwalks guiding a
hydraulic press compacting the main cable into a cylindrical shape
between 1948 and
1950
1
5
Compacted main cable and catwalk
from the deck to the top of a tower
between 1948 and
1950
1
6
Catwalk next to main cable showing suspender cable band
and suspender cables
between 1948 and
1950
1
7
Main cable with suspender band shown from above with
catwalk in background
between 1948 and
1950
1
8
Main cable overlooking deck truss with walkway of wooden
beams down the center
between 1948 and
1950
1
9-11
Aerial view of bridge workers on the center wooden walkway
of the deck below
between 1948 and
1950
On item 10: significant area of damage at top center of
photo
1
12
Wooden beams placed across the center of the metal deck
truss
between 1948 and
1950
1
13
Tower and center wooden walkway with concrete laid at the
side of the wooden beams
between 1948 and
1950
1
14
Reinforced concrete drying on the deck with both towers
visible in the background
between 1948 and
1950
1
15
Material covering large areas of the center wooden walkway
and deck trusses
between 1948 and
1950
1
16
Aerial view of the end of bridge with concrete sections of
the deck visible and the ramp leading to the bridge under
construction
between 1948 and
1950
Tear on surface of center left side of photo and blue stain at
center
1
17
Full span of Tacoma Narrows Bridge from lateral view
nearing the end of its construction
between 1948 and
1950
1
18
Construction materials on a side road near the end ramp of
the Current Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the last stages of bridge
construction
between 1948 and
1950
1
19
"Narrows Bridge Data" fact sheet
listing dimensions and weights of bridge and various components
between 1948 and
1950