Resources
Selected Web Sites
WSDOT
-- Narrows Bridge Project updates for the 2007 Narrows Bridge
WSDOT
-- Current traffic conditions on the bridge
WSDOT
-- Environmental Affairs Office
Includes PDF file of HAER (Historic Architecture and Engineering
Record) WA-99 for Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
FHWA is charged with the broad responsibility of ensuring that America’s
roads and highways continue to be the safest and most technologically
up-to-date.
State Office of Archaeology and
Historic Preservation
L ocated in the Local Government Division of the Department of Community,
Trade and Economic Development, a Cabinet-level agency managed by
a Governor-appointed Director.
City
of Tacoma
information about Tacoma's many facets -- its climate and environment,
local government, neighborhoods, business districts, schools, transportation
system, and history.
Gig
Harbor Peninsula Historical Society & Museum
"A Tale of Two Gerties: How and Why We Bridged the Narrows,"
on-line exhibit.
Tacoma Public Library
Search photograph database. Holds approximately 200 images for both
Narrows bridges.
Tacoma
Narrows and Suspension Bridges on PBS, Nova online
Includes video of Galloping Gertie in oscillation action.
University
of Washington Libraries
On-line exhibit of 190 images gives the story of the construction,
collapse and rebuilding of the bridge.
Sites on 1940 Narrows Bridge and Collapse
The
underwater remains of Galloping Gertie—Underwater Atmospheric
Systems
Bristol
University (United Kingdom)
Bridge Basics
Bridges, suspension
bridges, oscillation
Bridge Basics - A Spotter's
Guide to Bridge Design
Very basic; describes common bridge types, with illustrations; bridge
terminology.
Bridge Building
- Art and Science
This site describes the structures of the most common types of bridge
with photos and web links. Topics are illustrated by diagrams or
photographs. Several programs, some interactive, may be downloaded
to provide further insight.
BridgePros
A site dedicated to the engineering, history, and construction of
bridges. Most of the news and current information relates to US
projects, but not all.
BridgeSite
Many links to bridge-related sites, plus discussion forums, software,
photos and events.
Bridge Engineering
Home Page
Links to government agencies, universities, and private entities
involved in bridge engineering.
ConstructMyFuture.com
Construct My Future is designed to help people "explore and
learn about the interesting and varied careers in the construction
industry." With resources for students, teachers, and parents,
the site has significant depth in its content.
Great
Buildings Online
Includes bridges with details and images, plus several 3-D models.
West Point Bridge Design
Contest
Educational resources for middle and high school students. The main
feature is the bridge design software, which allows the user to
"model, test, and optimize a steel highway bridge, based on
realistic specifications, constraints, and performance criteria."
Completed designs can be submitted online for unofficial judging.
LInks to Other Bridges
Bronx-Whitestone
Bridge
Brooklyn
Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
London Tower Bridge
Official site of one of the most famous bridges in the world, with
lots of facts and figures.
Menai
Strait Bridge
San Francisco-Oakland
Bay Bridge
An excellent bridge history site.
St. John's
Bridge, Willamette River, Portland, Oregon
Strait of Messina Bridge
Official site of the proposed bridge between Sicily and mainland
Italy, which if built will be the longest suspension bridge in the
world. To view this site in English, click the British flag icon
at top right.
Wheeling
Suspension Bridge
Archives and Museum Collections
Gig
Harbor Peninsula Historical Society Museum
Tacoma Narrows Bridge collection; includes photographs by James
Bashford and Joe Gotchy, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings and articles.
Includes the famous image of the bridge collapsing taken by Bashford.
Also, records of United Infrastructure relating to construction
of the 1950 Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
National Archives
Washington, D.C.
Public Works Administration; Tacoma Narrows Bridge, project files
FWA project files about the investigation into the collapse of the
Tacoma Narrows bridge. Includes correspondence (400 pages), newspaper
clippings (200) regarding the collapse and the investigation.
Tacoma
Public Library - Northwest Room
Over 200 photographs, plus thousands of newspaper articles, 1923-present
University
of Washington - Manuscripts, Archives & Special Collections.
Includes records of Engineering Experiment Station, F. B. Farquharson,
Collection.
Washington State
Archives
Records of the Washington State Department of Transportation ("Galloping
Gertie Collection), Washington State Toll Bridge Authority; large
collection including photos and drawings.
Washington
State Department of Transportation - Library
Includes photographs by Alfred Simmer, newspaper clippings, and
other published information.
Washington State
Historical Society
Includes large number of historic photographs, newspaper clippings,
and other published information related to the 1940 and 1950 bridges.
WSDOT Public History Display
A Tale of Three Bridges is a retrospective exhibit
that highlights the
construction of the 1940 and 1950 bridges and the new bridge that will open
to traffic in spring 2007. The original six-foot tall panels first appeared
at the 2004 Puyallup Fair. It's available for public display to area schools,
local agencies and social service groups. For more information contact
Filiz Satir at (253) 534-4670.
Composite Display - 1940, 1950, 2007 Bridges
High quality pdf document for print. Requires software that can view
the Portable Document Format (.pdf). File size is 552 KB.
Panel #1 - 1940 Bridge
Construction of the infamous bridge known to people worldwide as
"Galloping Gertie" began in early 1938 with bridge opening to the
public on November 7, 1940 before collapsing four months later.
Panel #2 - 1950 Bridge
Crews who constructed the second bridge built the towers and deck on the
original piers of the first bridge.
Panel #3 - 2007 Bridge
Six decades after the first Narrows Bridge collapsed into Puget Sound, a
the third span that runs parallel to the 1950 bridge is on the rise.
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