The New Narrows Bridge in Tacoma

[halfdome, Danny]

Anyone besides me going to walk the new Narrows Bridge Sunday July 15th, 2007 starting at 10 am? I love to see how things are made and being it's the first suspension bridge built in the USA since 1964 I wouldn't miss it for anything. Who will be the first to drive their tear over it? Better get in line Danny
http://www.thenewstribune.com/

[cablerunners]

Hey Danny,

I don't even know they built a new one!

I also scuba dive a did a "drift dive" in the Narrows.... I call it my screaming underwater roller coaster ride! The currents had my buddy and I tumbling through.

Anyhow, wish I could make it up there.

BTW: I love that Sony commercial about Galloping Gurdy!

-phil

[halfdome, Danny]

It's a new bridge right next to the second bridge. Danny

[Sam I am]

I remember seeing the film of the old bridge twisting and collapsing in my mechanical engineering courses at Penn State back in 1968. That was incredible! I never thought concrete and steel could twist and bend like that! The bridge's collapse served as a great learning tool for generations of engineers since the 1940's. Thankfully, no one was killed when it went down. I'm sure the new one will last a long time!
Sam

[angib]

The bridge's collapse served as a great learning tool for generations of engineers since the 1940's.

I don't know if it's still true today, but most of the 'Institutions' (the bodies that control the engineering professions in Britain) required that every engineering student be shown that famous film, just to try to teach them a little humility.

It was necessary to point out that the guy filmed walking on the bridge with his dog was the bridge's designer and that the car that went into the river was his - he had been saying that there was no problem with the bridge only minutes before it collapsed.....

Andrew

[sdtripper2]

"2007 Narrows Bridge."

Naming convention Terminology for the bridges that have crossed the narrows.
1)"Galloping Gertie." "Gertie" label or "1940 Narrows Bridge."
The first Tacoma Narrows Bridge Completed & destroyed 1940
was as Andrew said a textbook example of wrong design.

Dramatic film footage with commentary
of the first Narrows Bridge collapse Clicky
***

2)"Current Narrows Bridge." Completed 1950 was a single span bridge

***

3)"2007 Narrows Bridge." Completed 2007 is a double span bridge

The New 2007 Narrows Bridge Clicky
If you can't be with Danny walking across the bridge
you can see what your missing.

[angib]

The first Tacoma Narrows Bridge Completed & destroyed 1940 was as Andrew said a textbook example of wrong design.

And to be fair to the designer's memory, this isn't really true. He was able to use the new materials (high strength steels in plate and wire form) to push the suspension bridge design envelope to make a thinner, lighter (more efficient, cheaper) bridge than had been built before. Sadly in the process he rediscovered aero-elasticity - the phenomenon that had been making telegraph wires 'sing' for a hundred years, where the stiffness of an object and the aerodynamic forces on it interact with each other in a until-then-unexpected way.

Nobody knew until the bridge fell down that you could make a whole bridge 'sing' - reasonable, cautious engineers at that time would have laughed at the very idea. So the designer was just the guy who happened to be caught with his pants down - plenty of other people had been into those bushes before him!

Andrew

[halfdome, Danny]

Security was high today for the opening of the new Narrows Bridge as you can see on the top of the older bridges tower.

The crowd was very orderly probably since DARTH and the Storm Troopers showed up.


The crowd was light and it was fun walking the new span. It opens for traffic tomorrow. Danny

[pgwilli]

So Danny,
Are you going to be the first Tear across?
We're heading down the coast to Mendo tomorrow, but the Narrows is kinda out of the way.....

[halfdome, Danny]

Paul, I wish I could but the bridge opens to traffic at 4 am and the traffic jamb will be horrendeous. I don't think Jane would be too happy sleeping in the back while crossing the Narrows. I may give it a try when I head out to the Clear Lake Campout. Are you and Norma going to the campout? Danny

[tearsoffun]

We pick up our newly polished teardrop tomorrow and will have to cross the Narrows bridge ...so it may be the first newly polished teardrop ever to cross the new Narrows Bridge.. woo hoo.. :-) Hope it stays UP there.. man that thing is up high off the beautiful waters below. We are stoked to get to see Lil Bear no. 1 with a new coat on!!