The original Tacoma Narrows Bridge failed dramatically in a windstorm on November 7, 1940, four months after opening. The lessons in aerodynamics learned from this failure generated new knowledge necessary to build safe, efficient, and stable suspension bridges worldwide. The bridges connect the city of Tacoma with the Kitsap Peninsula and carry State Route 16 (known as Primary State Highway 14 until 1964) over the strait. more Audio tracks for some languages were automatically. Look here for the "nuts and bolts" of design, construction, and operations. How did they build the 1940 and 1950 Narrows Bridges? What are the parts of a suspension bridge? What architectural developments influenced the bridge designs? Learn about the working parts of each structure (such as. Tacoma Narrows Bridge The modern Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Washington state. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by. Taken together, the 1940 and 1950 Tacoma Narrows bridges represent both tragedy and triumph for civil engineers. Then there are the historic bridges along the coast on Highway 1 including well-known spans such as Bixby Bridge, Rocky Creek Bridge, and Big Creek Bridge.