PROJECT MANAGEMENT

TACOMA BRIDGE CASE STUDY

Question
Read the Tacoma Bridge example. 
What did the project manager do things correctly and where did the project manager ignore ample
warning signs of problems to come?  

Answer
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge was a pair of twin suspension bridges that connected two cities in
Washington. It opened to traffic on July 1, 1940. However, it later then collapsed into the Tacoma
Narrows four months later on November 7, 1940.
Despite the big disaster that the Tacoma Bridge caused, the project manager did take quickly correct
measures:
1- Traffic on the bridge was closed just in time. Therefore, no lives were lost in this collapse.
2- A three-person committee of some of the top scientists was convened immediately to
determine the causes of the Tacoma Narrows collapse.
When the open girders in the bridge sides were replaced with flat, solid girders that would capture the
wind and cause the bridge to sway from side to side, the Planners unknowingly took risks.

Lack of technical, management and knowledge of the dynamic risks aspects related to the Suspensions
Bridge at the time of this project, were the main reason of this failure.

Four qualitative risk analyses were performed on this project:

1- The width-to-length ratio of the bridge,

2- The replacement of the bridge's side girders with flat, solid girders that prevented wind passage
through the bridge,
3- The heavy traffic loading and poor structure constructed.
4- The bridge's topographic location made it very prone to high winds.

At this time, Project managers did not take these dynamic factors into sufficient consideration.

The types of risk mitigation that are considered suitable for this project are:

a- Risk avoidance: In this project, risk associated with finances and supplies can be avoided.
b- Risks associated with training and testing can be accepted.
c- Control risk: Technical or performance risks may be important and should be managed.

To conclude, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed because of forceful winds acting on the bridge
and the structure being poorly constructed. The girder did have an effect on the collapse but not as
much as wind and the poor structure. Everything about the bridge was faulty and poorly designed
which caused the devastating collapse. This disaster led to new opportunities for engineers to learn
from failure and implement changes in the next coming bridge designs.

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