Murray Morgan Bridge

City Waterway Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Murray Morgan bridge from the Thea Foss Waterway
Location:	Tacoma, Washington
Coordinates:	47°15′14.45″N 122°25′56.57″W / 47.2540139°N 122.4323806°W / 47.2540139; -122.4323806Coordinates: 47°15′14.45″N 122°25′56.57″W / 47.2540139°N 122.4323806°W / 47.2540139; -122.4323806
Built:	1911
Architect:	Waddell & Harrington; International Contract Co.
Architectural style:	Other
Governing body:	State
MPS:	Historic Bridges/Tunnels in Washington State TR
NRHP Reference#:	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. It was built in 1913 to replace an 1894 swing-span bridge.^[2] The bridge connects downtown with the tideflats, it spans 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.^[3] The bridge structure also contained a wooden road which connected what is now Cliff Street with Dock Street. According to the Department of Transportation, the towers are 207' 1 3/4" (63.14 m) above the water, with the road deck 60' above the water level at zero tide. It was modified and updated in 1957 and was 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.^[4] The City of Tacoma currently has a plan to rehabilitate the bridge, however this process remains largely unfunded.^[5] In the past, the bridge has been heavily used by commuters and emergency services in connecting the Port of Tacoma with downtown Tacoma.^[6][7]

Name

Originally known as the 11th 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.^[8][9]

Closure

The bridge was officially closed on October 23, 2007 due to "life safety concerns".^[10][11] It remains to be seen if the bridge will ever reopen. The bridge was probably closed in the wake of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse of 2007. The bridge remains open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic.^[12] Currently WSDOT plans to turn ownership back to the City of Tacoma as the bridge no longer serves a state-owned freeway, but rather city streets. The City of Tacoma is considering possibilities to rehabilitate the bridge with existing funding.^[13] The bridge was returned to limited pedestrian and bicycle service on March 31, 2010.

Damage

On December 15, 2010 it was discovered that thieves broke into the mechanical room and took wiring from the control panel used to raise the bridge for ship traffic on the Foss Waterway. The city is looking for an interim method of operating the span with the estimated cost of replacing the equipment set at $250,000^[14]

360° panorama of downtown Tacoma as viewed from the Murray Morgan Bridge.

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ Long, Priscilla (2003-09-06). "the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History". HistoryLink.org. http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&File_Id=5543. Retrieved 2011-08-20. 
3. ^ "WSDOT: City Waterway Bridge". Wsdot.wa.gov. 2006-05-18. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Environment/CulRes/bridges.htm#CityWaterway. Retrieved 2011-08-20. 
4. ^ "Tacoma News Tribune:Broken Promises on Bridge, November 12th, 2007". Thenewstribune.com. http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/201629.html. Retrieved 2011-08-20. 
5. ^ http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?nid=919
6. ^ http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?hid=13996
7. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
8. ^ Long, Priscilla (2003-05-16). "the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History". HistoryLink.org. http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&File_Id=5458. Retrieved 2011-08-20. 
9. ^ Lange, Greg (2002-11-29). "the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History". HistoryLink.org. http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=5021. Retrieved 2011-08-20. 
10. ^ State closes Murray Morgan bridge Tacoma News Tribune
11. ^ Safety Concerns Close Murray Morgan Bridge WSDOT Press Release
12. ^ [2] WSDOT's Murray Morgan Bridge Information Home Page
13. ^ [3] City Manager's weekly report to the City Council, June 25, 2009.
14. ^ [4] Wire thieves disable Tacoma bridge lift span AP

External links

• 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 / 47.253995; -122.43327