Tacoma Narrows Bridge Ruins
About this property
The 1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the first bridge at this location, was a suspension bridge in the U.S. state of Washington that spanned the Tacoma Narrows strait of Puget Sound between Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula. It opened to traffic on July 1, 1940, and dramatically collapsed into Puget Sound on November 7 of the same year. The bridge's collapse has been described as "spectacular" and in subsequent decades "has attracted the attention of engineers, physicists, and mathematicians". Throughout its short existence, it was the world's third-longest suspension bridge by main span, behind the Golden Gate Bridge and the George Washington Bridge. Construction began in September 1938. From the time the deck was built, it began to move vertically in windy conditions, so construction workers nicknamed the bridge "Galloping Gertie". The motion continued after the bridge opened to the public, despite several damping measures. The bridge's main span finally collapsed in 40-mile-per-hour (64 km/h) winds on the morning of November 7, 1940, as the deck oscillated in an alternating twisting motion that gradually increased in amplitude until the deck tore apart. The violent swaying and eventual collapse resulted in the death of a Cocker Spaniel named "Tubby", as well as inflicting injuries on people fleeing the disintegrating bridge or attempting to rescue the stranded dog. Efforts to replace the bridge were delayed by US involvement in World War II, as well as engineering and finance issues, but in 1950, a new Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened in the same location, using the original bridge's tower pedestals and cable anchorages. The portion of the bridge that fell into the water now serves as an artificial reef. The bridge's collapse had a lasting effect on science and engineering. In many physics textbooks, the event is presented as an example of elementary forced mechanical resonance, but it was more complicated in reality; the bridge collapsed because moderate winds produced aeroelastic flutter that was self-exciting and unbounded: for any constant sustained wind speed above about 35 mph (56 km/h), the amplitude of the (torsional) flutter oscillation would continuously increase, with a negative damping factor, i.e., a reinforcing effect, opposite to damping. The collapse boosted research into bridge aerodynamics-aeroelastics, which has influenced the designs of all later long-span bridges.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Tacoma Narrows Bridge Ruins
This page lists Tacoma Narrows Bridge Ruins. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Tacoma Narrows Bridge Ruins listed on the National Register?
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Ruins was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 30, 1992.
What type of historic resource is Tacoma Narrows Bridge Ruins?
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Ruins is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Tacoma Narrows Bridge Ruins?
The period of significance for Tacoma Narrows Bridge Ruins is recorded as the listed era.
Can I research the history near Tacoma Narrows Bridge Ruins?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Tacoma Narrows Bridge Ruins will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Pierce County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Pierce County.
Explore PierceCounty ›More historic places in Washington
Browse all historic places in Washington.
View Washingtonhistoric sites ›Washington history
Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.
Washingtonhistory ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Tacoma Narrows Bridge Ruins will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.