The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-02-17
HERE'S MORE ABOu I
Narrows Bridge

hut state officials on the toll
bridge authority al are DUBIOUS
II the bridge will be rebuilt Tor
several years. IL took q year ana
. half to construct the se.ooo.ooo
bridge that blew down four
months after II was dedicated July
!. 1910.
Since larger. heavier bridge
must be constructed to withstand
the elements and prevent new
catastrophe. II may take consider
ably more than 10000 tons Of steel
and a year and q half to do the
job.
The toll bridge authority had
assurance from the federal govern
ment before the war that II could
get steel for the job. out today
II is q different story. Because OF
this the state has made no out
and-out application for the steel
priorities but is merely sounding
out the government as to ways II
might be secured.
Up TO Contractor
The problem of finding men 10
do the work would not worry the
toll bridge authority since the
successful bidder for the contract
will have to find the men. With
employment in shipyards. aircraft
plants and navy yards taking up
all available skilled labor. that
problem may be a ticklish one II
the contractor tries TO lure men
away from those plants by offer
ing higher wages.
There still remains the problem
of what to do with the two huge
towers, weighing 1000 tons each.
and the 3.so0-ton cables still
standing on the site of the old
bridge. Any new span probably
will be put in the same spot. since
the concrete piers, sunk 125 feet
in the mud Of Puget Sound. can
be used again. according to an
examining board of engineers.
Must BE Unraveled
Cunningham said the authority
may decide to leave the towers
and cables until IT can work out
an arrangement with the contrac-
tor for the new bridge 10 take
them down. using the same equip
ment he will employ to erect
newer and heavier ones. This will
obviate assembling twice the large
amount Of machinery which will
be needed for the demolition. The
mile-long cables probably will
have to be unraveled strand by
strand, the same way they were
put up.
The state recently sold for S60,-
900 about 1000 tons OF scrap steel
taken from approaches and the
roadbed of the original bridge.
The rest of the bridge lies in the
mud of the bottom Of the Sound,
40 feet below the water. Nothing
ever came of suggesting to salv-
age that steel since the cost Of
locating and raising it would be
prohibitive.
Bonds Were Retired
The original Narrows bridge
was financed with S2,ss0, 900
PWA grant and s3.520,000 in
revenue bonds issued by the au-
thority. The bonds were retired
out Of insurance on the span. Any
new bridge probably will have to
be financed entirely by bonds,
Cunningham said, since the PWA
has been discontinued.
Sale of such bonds would not
be difficult, it was felt. because
traffic over the bridge far ex-
ceeded expectations during its four
months OF operation.
While all the problems of a new
bridge are being weighed and
studied. the state is providing
ferry service between 9Th ave. and
Point Fosdick.
Assisting the toll bridge author
ity in drafting plans for a new
bridge are c. f. Andrew. con-
struction engineer of the original
span; Glenn Woodruff. Oakland,
Calf, and L. J. sverdrup, st.
Louis.