The Washington State Toll Bridge Authority was created in 1937 by the Washington State Legislature, with a mandate to finance, construct and operate toll bridges in the state of Washington.
The first act of the Toll Bridge Authority was to purchase the Manette Bridge, previously a privately owned toll bridge; it was made a toll-free crossing in January 1939. The agency then constructed several new bridges in the Puget Sound region that were intended to become toll-free crossings once their construction bonds had been retired. These included the Lake Washington Floating Bridge, which was tolled from 1940 to 1943; and the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which opened in July 1940 and collapsed on November 7 during a windstorm.
The Toll Bridge Authority began operating public ferries on June 1, 1951, when Washington State Ferries was created to take over the private Black Ball Line routes. The agency was dissolved in 1977 and absorbed into the new Washington State Department of Transportation, which also took over the duties of the Department of Highways.
References
- ^ "Tacoma Narrows Bridge history: Creating the Narrows Bridge, 1937–1940". Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
- "State Takes Over Toll Bridge; Bridge-Users Cheered As State Takes Tolls". The Bremerton Sun. April 27, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved November 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Thousands Join in Manette Festival; Span Tolls Lifted". The Bremerton Sun. January 30, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved November 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- Becker, Paula (January 19, 2005). "State legislature establishes Washington Toll Bridge Authority in March 1937". HistoryLink. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
- Crowley, Walt; Oldham, Kit (March 10, 2005). "Transportation Chronology: Moving Washington for a Century — 100 Years in the History of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)". HistoryLink. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
- Oldham, Kit (March 15, 2005). "Law creating Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) takes effect on September 21, 1977". HistoryLink. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
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