Will the Eleventh Street Bridge Collapse?
Public works officials send a diver into the channel to ensure the bridge foundation remains stable amid industrial dredging operations.
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Commissioner of Public Works Clark has an expert diver making an investigation of the condition of the foundation of the main pier of the Eleventh Street bridge. It has been feared since the dredger has been working near the bridge that if the core in which the pier is placed is removed the bridge will collapse. The diver made his first descent at 1:45 this afternoon, and remained under water about 15 minutes. During that time he was unable to discover anything in regard to the condition of the bridge. Another investigation will be made later. Several hundred people were on the bridge and docks watching the diver.
“It has been feared since the dredger has been working near the bridge that if the core in which the pier is placed is removed the bridge will collapse.”
Concerns over the structural integrity of Tacoma's industrial-era waterway infrastructure remain a point of civic anxiety today as the Port of Tacoma continues to expand. The Eleventh Street bridge, once a vital artery, is a precursor to the long-standing debate over how modern maritime trade affects the safety of our aging transit links.
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