The New Tacoma Narrows Bridge - From Inception to Opening

The new Tacoma Narrows Bridge carries east bound traffic across Washington State's Puget Sound adjacent to the existing 1950 bridge, which replaced the ill-fated Galloping Gertie. The new bridge is the first suspension bridge delivered under the design-build contracting arrangement. With a 853 m main span and 1646 m overall length, the bridge is the fifth longest suspension bridge in the United States. This paper discusses the historic aspects of the project, design challenges, technical innovations, steel fabrication and on-site construction methods.