Murray Morgan Bridge
City Waterway Bridge | |
 Murray Morgan bridge from the Thea Foss Waterway | |
  | |
| Location | Tacoma, Washington |
|---|---|
| Built | 1911 |
| Architect | Waddell & Harrington; International Contract Co. |
| Architectural style | Other |
| MPS | Historic Bridges/Tunnels in Washington State TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 82004278 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 16, 1982 |
The Murray Morgan Bridge, also known as the 11th Street bridge or City Waterway bridge, is a lift bridge in Tacoma, Washington. Built in 1913 to connect downtown to the tideflats, it spanned the Thea Foss Waterway, originally known as the City Waterway. Designed by famous bridge designers Waddell & Harrington, the bridge has some unusual features: higher above the water than most lift bridges, construction on a variable grade and an overhead span designed to carry a water pipe. [2] According to the Department of Transportation, the towers are 207' 1 3/4" above the water, with the road deck 60' above the water level at zero tide. It was rebuilt in 1957 and used to route State Route 509 through the tideflats. The bridge was bypassed in the late 1990s when State Route 509 was routed around the edge of the tideflats. While WSDOT wanted to tear down the bridge, the City of Tacoma convinced the state to transfer ownership to the City.[3] However, the bridge has fallen into disrepair in recent years.
Name
Originally known as the Eleventh Street Bridge, it was renamed May 21,1997, to honor Tacoma-born Murray Morgan (1916-2000), the best-known Pacific Northwest historian of his generation, and author of "Skid Road", a history of Seattle, Washington. Morgan was a bridge tender on the bridge during the 1950s. In fact, he wrote most of "Skid Road" during quiet periods on the job.
Closure
The bridge was officially closed on October 23rd, 2007 due to "life safety concerns".[4][5] It remains to be seen if the bridge will ever reopen. Perhaps this bridge closed in the wake of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse of 2007.
External links
- WSDOT - Murray Morgan Bridge Information
- Historylink - Tacoma's Eleventh Street (City Waterway) Bridge opens on February 15, 1913.
- Historylink - Washington renames Tacoma's Eleventh Street Bridge as Murray Morgan Bridge on May 21, 1997.
- Puget Sound Transportation Projects - Murray Morgan Bridge
Map Coordinates: 47°15′14″N 122°26′00″W / 47.253995°N 122.43327°W
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.
- ^ WSDOT: City Waterway Bridge
- ^ Tacoma News Tribune:Broken Promises on Bridge, November 12th, 2007
- ^ State closes Murray Morgan bridge Tacoma News Tribune
- ^ Safety Concerns Close Murray Morgan Bridge WSDOT Press Release
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- Bridges in Washington (U.S. state)
- Bridges completed in 1911
- Bridges on the National Register of Historic Places
- National Register of Historic Places in Washington (U.S. state)
- Vertical lift bridges
- Buildings and structures in Tacoma, Washington
- Transportation in Tacoma, Washington
- Towers in Washington (U.S. state)
- Washington (state) Registered Historic Place stubs