The Public Works Administration paid part of the first bridge, but the remainder was financed by a loan that had to be repaid with tolls. While the peninsula community clearly wanted the bridge, the tolls were a huge controversy. At the center of the debate was the fact that, under the proposed tolls, it would cost travelers more to cross the Narrows by bridge than by the existing ferry service.
Just one month after the first bridge opened, the commuter tolls were reduced. According to the Toll Bridge Authority, they were able to reduce the tolls because there was greater patronage by regular users than was expected. Three months after the bridge opened, the Authority lowered the basic rate by 5¢, citing savings due to refinancing the bond issues.
Construction for the second bridge was financed through a $14 million bond issue. When the bridge opened in 1950, tolls were set at pretty much the same level as they had been in 1940. The bridge operated as a toll facility until the bonds were retired 13 years ahead of schedule on May 14, 1965.
The volume of traffic that crossed the new bridge had been much greater than had been anticipated. There was no protest about the tolls imposed for the second bridge, they were cheaper than the ferry service.
In 1965 the Washington State Legislature passed a law (RCW 47.56.271) stating that the Tacoma Narrows Bridge shall be operated and maintained by the DOT as a toll-free facility once all indebtedness had been retired. Interestingly, some locals fought the removal of the tolls. They feared an influx of people that would overwhelm the small community on the peninsula.
Read a few letters to the editor of local newspapers about the tolls | More
