SCRET Projects – Galloping Gertie
Galloping Gertie was the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge linking Tacoma and Gig Harbor
History and general information:
- Suspended plate girder bridge
- 5,939’ in length
- Opened July 1, 1940 after two years of construction
- Collapsed four months later on Nov. 7, 1940
- 42-mile-per-hour windstorm
- Single casualty was a dog named “Tubby” trapped in an automobile
- 10 years elapsed before a new bridge was built
- Currently rests in up to 220’ of water
The bridge earned the nickname "Galloping Gertie" from its rolling, undulating behavior. Motorists crossing the 2,800-foot center span sometimes felt as though they were traveling on a giant roller coaster, watching the cars ahead disappear completely for a few moments as if they had been dropped into the trough of a large wave.
This is the famous bridge you see in video news footage