Officials gather to officially re-open Tacoma's historic Murray Morgan Bridge

Officials gathered Friday morning in downtown Tacoma to celebrated the rededication and centennial of the recently rehabilitated Murray Morgan Bridge, which originally opened on Feb. 15, 1913.

The rededication ceremony began with a cross-bridge procession of cyclists, pedestrians, and classic automobiles courtesy of Tacoma’s LeMay Museum across the bridge. Lane Morgan, daughter of the late Murray Morgan, christened the bridge with a bottle of Harmon’s 11th Street IPA, a brew created especially for the celebration. A plaque was unveiled to mark the bridge rechristening. Guests included Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, Washington State Department of Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond, Former State Representative Dennis Flanigan, Former Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma, and State Representative Jake Fey.

The Murray Morgan Bridge has been closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic since November 2007, when a Washington State Department of Transportation inspection deemed the bridge structurally deficient. In January 2011, the City of Tacoma kicked off the almost two-year project of rehabilitating the bridge and restoring it to its original color. On Feb. 1, the Murray Morgan Bridge opened to vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Final work on the bridge will continue through February.

TV Tacoma will broadcast replays of the event online at tvtacoma.com.

To read the Tacoma Daily Index‘s complete and comprehensive coverage of the Murray Morgan Bridge rehabilitation, click on the following links: