History of the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge
(Originally called the Puyallup River Bridge)
By Curt Cunningham

Before 1924, the Pacific Highway heading east out of Tacoma, traveled on Puyallup Ave. to E. Bay Street and crossed the Puyallup river at the intersection of E. Bay St. and E. Grandview Avenue. The crossing was originally known as Indian Ferry. This is when 20th Street east had extended west to the river bank. After crossing the bridge the highway continued on 20th Street E. which was known back then as Milton Avenue. Motorists would then take Valley Ave. to Puyallup, and then north up the West Valley highway. Between the bridge and the King county line, the road was originally called the Indian Ferry-Stuck Valley road. In 1913 this road became a section of the Pacific Highway.

After 1916 drivers had a choice when driving between Tacoma and Seattle. They could take the Pacific Highway which was paved the entire distance or take the "Highline" which was about 10 miles shorter, but it was a dirt road and muddy most of the year.

In 1924 the Highline Road became a section of the Pacific Highway. By the early 1920's the State Highway Department wanted to eliminate all the railroad crossings along the Pacific Highway. The State chose the Highline route because it eliminated the dangerous railroad crossings in the valley.

Also in 1924 plans were being made to build a new 4-lane thoroughfare between Tacoma and Seattle. This road was badly needed as over 6,000 vehicles had crossed over the old bridge between July and August of 1926. This new bridge over the Puyallup river was one of 7 bridges which were constructed by the State Highway Dept. in 1926. These projects were the largest and most important work undertaken by the State between 1924 and 1926.

The bridge became a reality on September 3, 1925 when Contract #983, Federal Aid Project #150 was let to Grant Smith & Co. of Seattle. The bridge consists of 5 steel fixed spans; 3- 252 foot, 1 -195 foot, and 1 - 114 foot. The bridge also has 1,756 feet of concrete girder and retaining wall approaches and was 2,500 feet long. This bridge crossed over the railroad tracks and has a 36 foot clear roadway, with 2 - 5 foot sidewalks. The main spans were 3 skewed, riveted, Pennsylvania through trusses which were replaced in 2015.

On January 8, 1927, the Washington Automobile Association held a dedication ceremony for the newly completed bridge and the new roadway to Seattle. The completion of this bridge and the Marysville bridge filled the final 2 gaps in the Pacific Highway between Mexico and the Canadian border. 

Between July and August of 1928 a total of 7,375 vehicles crossed over the new Puyallup River bridge.

This new highway shortened the distance between Tacoma and Seattle by about 10 miles. The new road bypassed Puyallup and the Kent-Auburn valley, and was built along the west hill, east of the Highline road and west of the old Military Road. In Tacoma the new bridge was constructed over the Puyallup river about a half mile below the old Pacific Highway bridge. When the new road was first opened in 1927, only 2 lanes had been paved and cars were told to stay off the unpaved side as the roadway was still soft. The other side of the highway was paved by 1928 and the highway became a 4-lane road. This became the eastern and northern entrance to the City of Tacoma, and it would remain that way for the next 36 years.

By the late 1940's the lanes across the Puyallup bridge were too narrow for the larger car being produced. Sometime before 1955 the lanes across the bridge were reduced to 3 lanes. One of the northbound lanes was removed. It would be almost a decade for the highway going north out of Tacoma to become a 4-lane highway again. This was in 1964 when the new freeway bridge over the Puyallup river was completed.

On May 21, 2019 the City of Tacoma passed a resolution changing the name of the bridge to the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge. On August 9, 2019 a dedication ceremony was held. The renaming of the bridge was a collaborative effort between the Puyallup Tribe and the City of Tacoma.

In 2015, the bridge over the railroad tracks had become rusted and was in danger of collapsing. The road and was closed to traffic while plans were made to replace the 3 main truss spans. After 4 years the spans were replaced and the new bridge over the railroad tracks opened for traffic in 2019.