Bridge 路 United States

How much did Tacoma Narrows Bridge cost to build?

The 1950 Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a one-mile (about 1.8 km) suspension bridge over Puget Sound in Washington state that replaced 'Galloping Gertie', which collapsed in 1940. The Washington Toll Bridge Authority financed it with a USD 14 million bond issue; WSDOT says the final construction cost estimate made just before the bond issue was USD 13,738,000, a third above the authority's earlier USD 11.2 million estimate. Construction began in April 1948 according to Wikipedia, and it opened on 14 October 1950, remaining a toll bridge until the bonds were retired in May 1965.

Published project estimate

$13.738 million

Cost basis: 1950

Mount Rainier and the westbound Tacoma Narrows Bridge, shot from the Kitsap side with a CPF. This bridge, opened in 1950, was a replacement for the original bridge in this location, which collapsed spectacularly 4 months after opening in 1940. In 2007, a second bridge was built in parallel to this one and the older bridge was converted to carry westbound traffic only. At the time it was opened, this bridge was the third-longest suspension bridge in the world.
Jonathan Miske from United StatesCC BY-SA 2.0

Cost evidence

Basis of the published figure

Published project estimate1950
en.wikipedia.org

Project metrics

Key dimensions

Total lengthwsdot.wa.gov
1,822 m

Project record

Timeline

  1. 1 April 1948

    Construction started

    wsdot.wa.gov

  2. 14 October 1950

    Opened or launched

    Washington State Department of Transportation

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