History of the University Bridge
By Curt Cunningham

Crossing Portage Bay

In 1891 the first bridge over the narrow passage which lies between Lake Union and Portage bay was the Latona bridge. This wooden structure would be located directly under the freeway's Ship Canal Bridge. In 1913 this bridge would become a part of the Pacific Highway until the University bridge was completed in 1919.

The Tenth Avenue Bridge

The first big announcement of the new bridge was on February 11, 1915 when the location of the proposed Tenth Avenue bridge was decided upon after the location was sanctioned by the engineers. Proposition #3 was introduced to cover the cost of a permanent bridge and piers, with temporary approaches, and it included all the necessary condemnations and damages including the filling and repaving of NE. 40th Street. The measure passed and the bridge was to be built.

Construction of the bridge began in 1916 and after 3 years the 291 foot long Bascule bridge would be completed. The span is 217.9 feet long and the bridge deck is 39 feet wide. The approaches to the bridge were temporary structures making the bridge over 1,000 feet long.

The bridge was originally called the Tenth Avenue bridge. But on June 10, 1919 before the bridge was completed, council member Robert B. Hesketh proposed at a meeting that the city rename the structure the University Bridge. The proposal was then referred to committee. On June 24, 1919 after reading a resolution submitted by the University District business club, the city council unanimously voted to rename the Tenth Avenue bridge the University bridge.

Opening Day

On July 1, 1919 the $549,000 University bridge was opened for traffic. Over 5,000 people came to witness the first opening of the draw span and partake in the festivities. Cars filled with dignitaries were the first to cross over and next to proceed was an elaborately decorated streetcar decked with flowers, which was driven across the bridge at 7:30pm the official time of the opening. Amid loud cheers, the throngs on the south end of the span flocked across to the north end where the dedication ceremony was held.

Prof. Edmond S. Meany gave the dedication address and others made short speeches. George W. Wilson. vice president of the University Commercial club, presided. Mayor Hanson, in a brief address, spoke on the city's streetcar transportation problem, and declared that the men who operate them must be paid a living wage. Speakers praised the city engineer's department for their work in connection with the structure.

After the bridge opened the people who lived in the University District were bubbling with excitment and grinning from ear to ear. They were shaking hamds, slapping each other on the back, exchanging cigars and showing general symptoms of high spirits. The reason they were so happy was that they could now go back and forth from downtown in 10 to 15 minutes less than before. Cars and trolleys would no longer spend their evenings waiting for the old Latona bridge to open for traffic. People were saying that the new bridge moved the University district closer to Seattle.

Mysterious Trunk leads to big Find

On June 15, 1921 two huge transformers were found in Lake Union by Henry Finch a diver for the Finch Bros. Co. while he was searching for a trunk which was supposed to contain the body of Kate Mahoney. The transformers were lost over four years ago when the University bridge was under construction, and they were valued and $1,500 each. When found the transformers were in good condition and were removed to the city lighting department. When the transformers were found Detective Tennant said that he was "even" with the taxpayers now for the expense for dragging the lake for the mystery trunk.

Good Samaritan is Pinched

On April 2, 1925 Carl Wood was working at the garage near the north end of the University bridge on NE 40th Street. Back then before turning from NE 40th onto the bridge, cars were supposed to stop. That afternoon at the corner of NE 40th St., and Tenth Ave., officers from the "traffic investigation squad" were busy pulling over motorists and issuing them tickets for failure to stop. The officers were so busy they wrote 30 tickets in 35 minutes.

Carl, after watching this go on decided to help out the unsuspecting drivers to the trap, and went down the street a block and waited. "Watch out!" he cried. "Cops down there and they'll pinch ya so go slow!" Many drivers heeded his warning and the cops' bag began to grow slim, so they investigated. The cops found Carl and decided to pinch him and he was made to pay a $25 bond.  Carl said; "I'll never try to do anyone a favor again." His case was set for later that month. It is unknown if he was able to get out of the ticket.

Mystery on the Bridge

At 6am August 19, 1925 a Hupmobile crashed through the east guardrail of the south approach to the University bridge. The car with only the driver inside plunged 50 feet into the water below. Police were unable to clear the mystery surrounding the accident, where the driver had escaped unhurt and quickly disappeared. The license number was traced to a T. Bean who was the owner of a bottling supply store on Pike St., and he was unable to be reached by phone.

His employees said they had not seen him, but they believed he was driving the car. That morning a fog had shrouded the bridge when the accident happened. The auto apparently skidded on the wet street, jumped the guard rail, ran across the sidewalk and went crashing through the flimsy wooden railing. The car plunged into the water after flipping over as it knocked off a large timber from the bridge. Clarice Ramson who was living in a houseboat beside the bridge, heard the car hit the water and looked out the window in time to see in sink, upside down, with someone inside.

She then called the police and fire department and then saw a man struggle to the surface and climb out on a log. The lucky man told the woman there was no one esle in the car, after which he swam ashore and disappeared. The car sank in about 12 feet of water, 30 feet from the shore. The police and fire crews rigged up a block and tackle from the bridge above. Just before they were to begin hooking up the gear to the car, a heavy pulley broke loose and fell 60 feet grazing the head of a fireman.

The harbor patrol was also brought in to assist, and the car was finally dragged up off the bottom after four long hours. The car was completely wrecked, but contained no bodies. It is unknown if they ever found the missing driver. The bridge had temporary approaches made of wood, and in 1923 another car had crashed through the railing and plunged into the water below taking two women to their deaths.

The One Armed Amour

On September 3, 1925 a concerned citizen wrote a letter to Mr. Fixit to see if he could "fix" the dangerous practice of putting your arm around your girl. The citizen said that after 11pm on a Saturday evening, he saw a driver crossing the University bridge with only one hand on the wheel, with his right arm around a girl. He ended the letter by saying; "Of course, other drivers had to give him room. Can you fix him and his kind? Thank you in advance." Mr. Fixit responded by saying that the license number he wrote down was given to the police and then said; "This sort of business is highly dangerous to all concerned when engaged on the busy bridge. Some wise judge has said that driving a machine on a crowded street is a two-armed job, and that hugging a girl anywhere is a two-armed performance."

Most Dangerous Intersection in the City

On March 5, 1931 a report came out which said that carelessness had caused 1,185 of the 1,309 traffic accidents which were reported to police the previous month. Other causes were 102 mechanical defects and 22 DUI's. There were twelve accidents at the south end of the University bridge which made that intersection the most dangerous in the city. The narrow street, the Boyer Ave. intersection, and the fact that the bridge was four lanes contributed to the record number of collisions.

The Bridge finally gets its Approaches

In 1931, just two years after the stock market crash, Seattle voters approved a $675,000 bond issue to finish the University Bridge. It took over ten years before the bridge received its permanent concrete approaches. In 1932 construction began to replace the dangerous wooden structures. Before construction could begin, crews had to build a temporary span to allow traffic to cross. Construction of the approaches was completed on April 6, 1933 when the bridge was opened for traffic. The dedication ceremony included stories of the old Latona bridge. Professor and historian Edmond Meany once again gave the dedication address.

Becomes a Historic Bridge

In 1982 all three of the Bascule bridges along the ship canal; University, Ballard, and Fremont,  were added to the National Register of Historic Places.