Galloping Gertie

I was online today and found a great video displaying how our first Narrows Bridge collapsed back in 1940. It was designed by an arrogant architect named Joseph B. Strauss, who didn't take into consideration the high winds and insisted on constructing a ribbon-like span across the Tacoma Narrows.




Today there are two bridges containing a total of 9 lanes of traffic. A far cry from only two-lanes of the first bridge. The newest bridge (which opened only last year) was designed to hold a second deck for more traffic or mass transit depending on which demands the most need in the years to come.

The original Narrows Bridge is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, even though it is sitting at the bottom of Puget Sound. It acts as an artificial reef for bottom dwelling sea creaures to live. Octopus' love it's dark and private crevases. In fact one of the largest ones ever found (if not the largest) was in the old Narrows Bridge.