The new Tacoma Narrows bridge, which turns one year old today, has changed the physical and financial landscape of the South Sound – especially on the Gig Harbor side of the span. The new eastbound span has freed up traffic and increased public safety, officials say. Drivers even seem to have learned to live with the tolls.

“We hit a home run,” said Kevin Dayton, Olympic region administrator for the state Department of Transportation.

Before the new span opened shortly before midnight July 15, 2007, “the existing bridge had two lanes separated by a 24-inch steel grid, and accidents happened there on a regular basis,” Dayton said. “There were too many people on too narrow a space.”

Now drivers breeze across the two bridges. The daily gridlock that turned a trip across the 1950 bridge into a 90-minute crawl has gone the way of $2-a-gallon gas.

According to figures released by the Transportation Department, at least 12.6 million vehicles traveled across the eastbound bridge, generating $29.3 million in revenue, from its opening in July 2007 until May 31, 2008.

The impact extends beyond the daily commute. On both sides, residents of feeder streets into Highway 16 can now rest easy.

The one-way toll means people think twice about making trips to the Peninsula, but local executives say Gig Harbor businesses and real estate seem to have benefited from the second span.

“People plan their trips differently now, but the big shoppers will still come across,” said Linda Gair, who owns The Keeping Room, a candles and wine shop in downtown Gig Harbor. “It’s going to help our economy. I don’t see any accelerated growth that we can’t handle.”

And the bridge is even user-friendly.

“The scariest part of the whole process was walking on the sidewalk of the existing bridge,” project engineer Dennis Engel said. “Now, every time I drive across the new bridge, there is someone out there walking, jogging or riding a bicycle.”

In the stories below, 10 South Sound residents share how the new bridge has affected their lives:

THE DAILY COMMUTER (CAR)

Janice Kvinsland of Port Orchard, registered nurse, Tacoma General Hospital

“I’ve commuted on that bridge for nearly 30 years. For 26 years I worked the night shift. On the way home I would see these poor people in line coming in from Gig Harbor, sitting there, just not even moving. …

“In March, my daughter was taken to St. Joseph Hospital for an accident. I rushed over to meet her during the 5 p.m. rush hour. There was no back-up whatsoever. If not for the new bridge, I would’ve been sitting there, having a panic attack over my daughter.

“Before, you had to really leave way earlier than normal just to make sure you would get across. Now, you don’t have to think about it. The toll is OK with me. I wish gas prices were lower, but I don’t have any problem paying for the bridge.”

THE DAILY COMMUTER (BICYCLE)

Cheryl Rogers of Gig Harbor, drives to Kimball Drive Park & Ride in Gig Harbor, then bikes 40 minutes to work at Tacoma General Hospital

“My husband and I spent $700 on tolls last year, so I try to limit the car trips I take as much as possible. I’m a fair-weather rider; if it’s pouring, I take the bus. Having the second bridge has alleviated traffic significantly.”

THE NEIGHBOR (GIG HARBOR SIDE)

Sandi Malley, longtime Tacoma resident, now in Gig Harbor

“This road (Jahn Avenue) has been busier since they built the bridge. It’s noisy, mainly during the morning and rush hour, but it’s no big deal. I just worry about my dog Buddy running down the street and getting run over.

“My husband and I don’t like the tolls, but there’s nothing you can do about it. Besides, it’s worth it to me; I would rather pay a toll than sit in traffic.

“We used to live on the other end of the bridge, and we saw the traffic jammed up all the time. I used to say, ‘I’d never live there!’ The new bridge influenced our decision to move to Gig Harbor. We never would’ve moved without the new bridge.”

THE NEIGHBOR (TACOMA SIDE)

Christina Liotti of Tacoma, lives on North Pearl Street near the Highway 16 entrance

“Beforehand, people were rude. They would cuss you out. They would run the red light and block the exit so you had to sit through three green lights just to get through. It got so bad that if it was between 3 and 6 p.m., we wouldn’t even try to leave the house. …

“Now you would never know there was a problem before. There’s no more congestion. People don’t block the intersection. I honestly didn’t think it would make a difference, but it really did.

“I would much rather pay the toll than be afraid to drive across the street with my children.”

THE OPPONENT

Randy Boss of Gig Harbor, longtime bridge critic, led now-defunct Citizens Against Tolls

“I have been an outspoken opponent to the bridge tolls. It is still an unfair taxation for the people in Gig Harbor. We were singled out specifically to pay for a bridge that no one wanted to pay for.

“People in our community are not happy about paying the tolls. They’re shopping in the Gig Harbor side, eating dinner on the Gig Harbor side, going to movies on the Gig Harbor side.

“For myself, we’re looking at ways to reduce trips across the bridge.”

THE EX-OPPONENT

Linda Gair, in business in Gig Harbor for 18 years, head of the Waterfront Retail Association and former board member of the Peninsula Neighborhood Association

“We fought the bridge like crazy. That was a mistake, because the new bridge is wonderful. It makes my life as a consumer and commuter easier.

“The toll is an issue, especially with the rising cost of gasoline. People from Tacoma are thinking twice about traveling to Gig Harbor. However, the real shoppers, the big boaters, are still coming across.

“I suspect a lot of our blue-collar work force will move to Tacoma. Freight charges and service calls will go up because of the bridge. There’s a trade-off, but in the long run it’s a good thing.”

THE BUSINESSMAN

Richard O’Neill, owner of Erin Rockery, a landscaping design and construction company near Gig Harbor

“Eighty to 85 percent of the materials I sell come across the Narrows bridge. Before the new bridge was constructed, the situation was horrible. One trip took three hours, at $115 an hour.

“I was a big supporter of the bridge, and it’s done everything I thought it would do. Before, I tried to get my trucks out of Tacoma at 2 p.m. so they wouldn’t be sitting in traffic. Now, they can leave anytime.

“Do I like paying the toll? No, but in the long run, it’s cheaper. The bridge has definitely benefited my business.”

THE REALTOR

Carole Holmaas of Windermere Real Estate

“There are two major impacts: the obvious traffic free flow and the fact that Gig Harbor has become a shopping destination. National companies would not have located here had they not felt the additional bridge would have brought business from outside the Gig Harbor area.

“Most buyers bought in the years preceding the bridge opening. There was a pent-up demand for Gig Harbor’s lifestyle, and when the bridge crossing was about to become easier they bought before they felt prices would rise. Had the home loan problem not occurred right when the bridge opened, likely most of the existing lots would have been built out by now.”

THE BUS DRIVER

Gregory Phillips, driver on Pierce Transit’s 100 Route, which goes from Tacoma Community College to Purdy

“I’ve driven for Pierce Transit for 271/2 years. In the past, I avoided the route that goes over the bridge. It was hard for us, and the passengers got frustrated, too. It was not a pretty sight.

“It’s just fantastic now. Now, you’re doing 55 miles per hour, and very rarely there’s a slowdown. We don’t even have to use the HOV lane.”

THE STATE TROOPER

Washington State Patrol Sgt. Troy Tomaras; now patrols the bridges, formerly patrolled Gig Harbor and the old bridge

“Embracing technology is a huge factor in reducing collisions, and the bridge has certainly exceeded expectations in that area. We’ve only had one accident on the new bridge, and it was minor.

“The roadway gives motorists plenty of room; you don’t have the visual distractions because you have taller concrete jersey barriers. I hear comments from people all the time saying you don’t even realize you’re on a bridge.

“Before, it was horrendous. Even a stalled vehicle would cause a backup for an hour. With the new bridge, there’s less congestion on the roadways, response time has improved, and traffic just goes a lot smoother. It has made our job easier.”

Joyce Chen: 253-597-8633

Janice Kvinsland: “I wish gas prices were lower, but I don’t have any problem paying for the bridge.”

Sandi Malley: “The new bridge influenced our decision to move to Gig Harbor.”

Christina Liotti: “Now, you would never know there was a problem before.”

Randy Boss: “People in our community are not happy about paying the tolls.”

Linda Gair: “We fought the bridge like crazy. That was a mistake, because the new bridge is wonderful.”

Carole Holmaas: “There was a pent-up demand for Gig Harbor’s lifestyle.”

Gregory Phillips: “In the past, I avoided the route that goes over the bridge.”

State Patrol Sgt. Troy Tomaras: “We’ve only had one accident on the new bridge, and it was minor.”

Millions of drivers have cruised over the new Tacoma Narrows bridge and its 1950 companion in the past year. Here are some of the numbers:

Traffic on the new bridge:

July 2007 (16 days) 670,198

August 1,332,868

September 1,222,252

October 1,242,451

November 1,165,676

December 1,168,397

January 1,136,487

February 1,123,576

March 1,194,321

April 1,176,209

May 1,252,259

Total (7/16/07 to 5/31/08) 12,684,694

Average eastbound commute speeds

Highway 16 interchange Before bridge After bridge

Highway 302 66 mph 63 mph

Burnham Drive 60 60

Wollochet Drive 22 60

Olympic Drive 12 60

36th Street 18 60

Use of toll transponders (from July 16, 2007 to June 30, 2008):

 • More than 102,000 accounts and 266,000 transponders

 • 96 percent of Gig Harbor households have accounts.

 • Nearly 70 percent of all toll payers used electronic toll lanes.

 • More than 85 percent of morning commuters use electronic lanes.

 • Nearly $32 million raised from tolls.

 • Average of 40,000 eastbound trips each day (comparable to before the new bridge opened.)

 • Violation rate about 2 percent

Wrecks crossing the Narrows

 • August 2007 to April 2008* 12**

 • August 2006 to April 2007 29

 • August 2005 to April 2006 47

 • August 2004 to April 2005 45

 • August 2003 to April 2004 37

Manuel Rondn of Gig Harbor, project manager for Tacoma Narrows Constructors; Bechtel executive involved in competition for expanding the Panama Canal:

“To design and build a new suspension bridge over the Tacoma Narrows was a monumental endeavor that makes each one of us proud to have been part of it.

“The improvement in traffic and safety was immediate and people recognized it and, knowing who I am and the role that our team played, many would go out of their way to thank us and congratulate us.

“For me, the final bridge is more than the sum of its parts. The finished bridge does not tell of the immense amount of detail planning that went into each phase, of the commitment and hard work of hundred of workers and engineers that made it possible and of the many satisfactions that we had while building it.

“It was fun.”