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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] 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.
[edit] 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. It was expected that this bridge may be closed in the wake of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse of 2007.
[edit] External links
Map Coordinates: 47.253995° N 122.43327° W
[edit] References
