Bridge of Glass, Glass art pedestrian bridge in Tacoma, United States.
The Bridge of Glass is a pedestrian footbridge in Tacoma, Washington, that crosses Interstate 705 and links the Museum of Glass to downtown. It features three separate glass art installations made up of hundreds of individual glass pieces spread along the entire crossing.
The Bridge of Glass opened in 2002 as a gift to Tacoma, built for about $12 million in design, construction and installation. It spans Interstate 705 to link the new Museum of Glass, the first building on the cleaned-up Thea Foss Waterway site, with downtown. The waterfront land had been acquired by the city in 1991 and cleaned up at a cost of roughly $103 million.
Dale Chihuly, a Tacoma native, described the Bridge of Glass as "the gateway that welcomes people to Tacoma." The Seaform Pavilion holds 2,364 pieces of marine-life-inspired glass suspended overhead, and the Venetian Wall displays 109 showcases of Art Deco-style works lit by fiber-optic lights.
The bridge is free to enter and open at all hours, with access points at the Museum of Glass and near Union Station on Pacific Avenue. The walkway is flat and well marked, so it can be crossed in either direction without any difficulty.
Two turquoise glass towers rise above the bridge deck and glow from within when lit at night. They are visible from a distance and stand out as one of the most noticeable elements of the Tacoma skyline after dark.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,474 contributors worldwide.