Wyatt Jones

1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge

The 1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge was a suspension bridge in Tacoma,

Washington. It measured 2,800 feet in length, making it the third longest suspension

bridge at the time of completion. Construction workers nicknamed the bridge “Galloping

Gertie” because of its vertical oscillation during high winds. The bridge was only two

lanes, making it very narrow at 39 feet wide. Additionally, the girders under the bridge

only extended eight feet below the surface of the road. Compared to the extreme length

of the bridge, it was very narrow and thin. These factors, combined with a lack of

funding during the design processes, made the bridge highly susceptible to shaking in

wave-like motions during high winds.

The bridge collapsed violently around 11:00 am on November 7th, 1940 after

experiencing prolonged high winds. Sustained winds at over 40 miles per hour reached

the bridge’s resonance frequency, causing large spans of the road to oscillate vertically

in waves. These waves became more intense the longer the wind continued.

Eventually, the stress on the road and its support became too high and the entire

structure collapsed.

The 1940 bridge was left in its place for several years after it collapsed. American

involvement in World War II limited the construction on a replacement bridge until 1950.

The 1950 Tacoma Narrows Bridge now stands over the footings of its predecessor. It is

much wider and deeper. Additionally, motion absorbers were installed to limit oscillation

of any kind.
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Sources:

Henry Petroski. Engineers of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and the Spanning of

America. New York: Knopf/Random House, 1995.

Leon S. Moisseiff and Frederick Lienhard. "Suspension Bridges Under the Action of

Lateral Forces," with discussion. ​Transactions of the American Society of Civil

Engineers,​ No. 98, 1933, pp. 1080–1095, 1096–1141