Tacoma Narrows Bridge Photo Album

Tower Construction

Gig Harbor and Tacoma towers rose rapidly once crews capped off the caissons (bridge foundations) in the summer of 2004. Last August, tower construction began in earnest, and a mere 10 months later the concrete pours on the sentinel-like structures were finished. Both towers exceeded the 500-foot mark in early June 2005. The final elevation of the towers is 510 feet above sea level, which includes the six-foot cable saddle atop the tower legs. One key difference between the new and existing bridge is that the new towers are constructed from reinforced concrete instead of steel. The new tower legs are hollow box structures that taper in width from the top to the bottom. Over the course of the project, and in order to accommodate the ever-growing towers, the tower crane was raised three times - to an ultimate height of 600-plus feet above water.

Click on any thumbnail for enlarged image and description.

(Last updated 08/08/05)

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