76-year-old bridge on WA’s ‘critical’ list will need $180 million in repairs

Commuters who take the Tacoma Narrows Bridge know that it’s no stranger to emergency repairs. So what would it take to fix it?

The Narrows is just one of the state’s bridges in need of mending. About 1 in 10 of Washington’s spans are more than 80 years old. The Narrows’ westbound bridge, which opened in 1950, is 76 years old.

Lawmakers have acknowledged that the state has work to do in patching up bridges — but it’s a costly prospect, and Washington faces lots of competing infrastructure demands.

State Rep. Jake Fey, a Tacoma Democrat who chairs the House transportation committee, helped put a price tag on the Narrows’ needs during a phone interview earlier this year.

The estimated cost to address the bridge’s westbound span: nearly $180 million for short-, mid- and long-term repairs, Fey said. That estimate is for keeping the Narrows’ older span operational for a good period of time.

“I have not heard any plans about replacing it,” he said, “but it does have some preservation and maintenance needs.”

The westbound portion is taken care of through the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) maintenance and preservation budget, he said in a follow-up email. Preservation and maintenance on the newer eastbound bridge, meanwhile, is covered by tolling revenue. That portion was completed in 2007.

In 2022, state lawmakers agreed to transfer $130 million from the general fund over time to help pay for the bridge until July 2032, lowering its tolls by 75 cents, The News Tribune reported at the time.

As for when tolls will pay off the eastbound span, according to Fey?

By June 2032, the debt and interest, plus a loan from the Motor Vehicle Fund, would be paid off under current revenue projections, he explained via email.

The Tacoma lawmaker said in the call that he doesn’t get many complaints about the toll fares anymore. People are appreciative that they can get across the bridge easier than before, when there was a single span.

“What I hear, quite frankly … is that people really like the fact that they’ve got that bridge,” Fey said. “And it really is not a problem.”

What would the $180M to fix the Narrows pay for?

In 2025, three emergency repairs struck the westbound state Route 16 Tacoma Narrows Bridge, said WSDOT spokesperson Cara Mitchell. Those occurred last year from April 11 to 13, Sept. 19 to 20 and Dec. 13.

Every day, the westbound bridge carries an average of 45,000 vehicles to Gig Harbor from Tacoma, Mitchell said, citing 2024 data.

The transportation department expects over the next six years that the westbound span will see the replacement of its four finger expansion joints on the bridge deck, she said via email Friday. Also, the bridge needs new emergency power systems supporting navigation lights and foghorns, and its shock absorbers require refurbishing. Such near-term investments would come to an estimated $12 million, she said.

Painting the span’s towers and deck truss in the next five years would save money on future repairs and help preserve the steel proactively, Mitchell said in an email earlier this year. That painting project would include a bit of rehab work to the steel.

“Planning level cost estimate for painting is $110M,” she said.

In the long term, the westbound bridge would benefit from bridge-deck rehabilitation in the next decade and cable dehumidification, she said, which was recommended after an inspection in 2019. Combined early estimates would total roughly $58 million, or $20 million and $38 million, respectively, she said.

“The first hurdle is securing the funding to make the investments,” she added.

Larger long-term investments are required for the span’s painting, cable dehumidification and bridge deck rehabilitation, Mitchell said Friday. Costs and timing for those items will be calculated over the next few years.

Gov. Bob Ferguson made maintenance and preservation for the state’s bridges and roads a priority in the 2026 session. The Democrat signed a supplemental transportation budget that invests $1.5 billion in such maintenance and preservation over six years.

As a general practice for preservation and maintenance, Fey said in a follow-up call, legislators don’t identify specific projects with specific dollar amounts so that WSDOT has the flexibility to deal with issues as they develop. One example: the permanent closure of Pierce County’s century-old Carbon River Bridge. The department doesn’t want to be held to a list so that it can remain nimble, he said.

Mitchell said Friday that the state’s transportation system is facing continued funding challenges, including highway-preservation funding shortfalls. That’s put the department in a “reactionary posture” when it comes to maintaining deteriorating infrastructure.

“As the governor said when signing the budget: While this investment is historic, our state has neglected our infrastructure for decades,” she continued. “This budget represents a down payment.”

Bridges are expected to be in service for at least 80 years, she said, though many can last much longer with the proper preservation and maintenance.

The westbound Narrows is ranked within the top 10% on the transportation department’s “Critical Bridge Needs” list, Mitchell said. Even though it isn’t considered to be in poor condition, it is viewed as a high-priority structure, in part because of its large traffic volumes and the major economic and mobility issues that a restriction or closure would impose.

If Narrows repair work doesn’t get completed in the suggested time frame, then repairs will get more costly and complex, Mitchell said earlier this year.

“This has the potential to add time on to a construction contract, with work zones being in place longer, adding more time to daily commutes,” she said.

Fey noted that the governor name-checked the bridge when announcing his transportation spending proposal before the start of the 2026 session.

“I don’t think he’d call it out if they didn’t intend to do it,” Fey said. “... So I would expect that this will be a high priority.”

He added that the bridge will also be on his mind during budget conversations next year.

“I’m sure I will be asking the question about how that project or preservation — at least the first portion of it — how that’s prioritized compared to other things that need to be done,” Fey said.

Simone Carter

The Olympian

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