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The 2007 bridge had many components, as every bridge has, that were required to be constructed first- before the span is made. This view is of the Gig Harbor anchorage structure before any cables were strung. This photo, and the next two photos below it are courtesy of an excellent photographer, Patrick S. O'Donnell. He has made trips across the country for many years to take photos during, and after numerous bridge's construction, as well as photographing historic bridges.
The image above shows the 2007 bridge tower taking it's place next to the 1950 bridge. The piers are about 60 feet apart from each other, as measured from each's outer edge. A lot of activity is giong on here, with cranes lifting key components in place, and the placement of cable spinning gear in preparation for the main cables. This photo is courtesy of Patrick S. O'Donnell.
Important lessons in bridge building have taken place since Gertie's famous collapse in 1940. The mid-span bracing is seen here, and is one of the improvements in design. This construction is heavy-duty, and meant to support the much larger 2007 bridge. The photo is courtesy of Patrick S. O'Donnell.
A view from the Gig Harbor public park, Narrows Park in early April, 2007. The cranes are visible, and the cable sealing is being worked on under the covers seen mid-photo.
Here is a look from the Tacoma shore along the railroad tracks.
These are a couple of the traveling work platforms that roll on the edge of the bridge girders. The crews can do maintenance and inspections easily this way, though during the construction these platforms were used for installations of utilities, etc.
Those are painters working in suspended buckets near the top of the Gig Harbor tower. The 2007 bridge has a slightly different shade of Narrows green color to give it a distinct look.
Here is a nice view of both bridges on a sunny day. A closer look at the tiny specks hanging around the cables by the tower reveals that they are the painting crew seen in the photo above.
A water-side look from a distance.
The Gig Harbor tower looks imposing in this photo. The elevator and it's rail attached to the tower can be seen on the left side.
Roadway sealing and paving is happening here. It looks like ice, but in reality this photo was taken on a hot day- it's just the sealer that has a glossy sheen.
The tower cranes are just about done being useful, they are about to be dismantled & removed by a larger crane that will scale the distance from the road up to higher than the towers.
Here is a look across the 2007 bridge as final roadwork is getting done.
The July 15, 2007 bridge Opening Day ceremony was packed, much more people attended than was expected. So much so that the bridge could be felt moving under one's feet!
People were in a constant flow to and from the bridge.
The Parade of Old Time cars looks impressive.
The first car of the Old Time Autos Procession across the bridge, the first car to pay the toll was the same car that made this same trip on July 1, 1940 to open Galloping Gertie. It was a historic event.
The 1923 Lincoln Touring car was driven by Trevor Will of the Titus-Will family, and his passengers included House Speaker Frank Chopp, and State Treasurer Michael Murphy.
This was the next car in the Parade of old-time autos. It is an original State Patrol car from the late 1930's era, restored as were all 3 cars in this procession.
The final car in the Old-timer Auto Parade is seen here, the passengers included State Representative Pat Lantz in the rear seat. This was the first car to cross the bridge with a transponder which automatically deducts the toll charge from an account. A nice touch to the celebrations, and each car got a loud round of applause from the huge crowd.
The bridge dedication plaque, located on the Gig Harbor side of the 2007 bridge.
A receipt of paying the toll on the bridge.
This is the front of an application for the bridge transponders which are affixed to the vehicle's front windshield and allow them to pass thru the automatic lanes. The toll is less expensive and the driver does not need to stop at the toll booths with this method of payment.
These are 2008 images of the new bridge, taken from a perspective that most folks never get to see. The shot above shows the Gig Harbor side of the bridge, where the girders stop & meet the anchorage structure.
Here is a great look at the side of the Gig Harbor anchorage, which was intentionally designed to look similar to the original 1940 anchorage of it's neighbor 60 feet to the north.
All bridges have some sort of wiring & mechanics that are need to run their length. This view shows the piping under the 2007 bridge. Because this is a suspension bridge which moves, it is necessary to run these pipes across rollers located on the support brackets, as seen here- so they can move with the bridge.
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