Opened in July 1940, the bridge quickly proved that being cheap to build had come at a cost. The thin road surface would move up and down in the wind. This was not yet torsional instability but the classic up-and-down bounce that had troubled many a bridge. But it seems, in this case, there was not enough bounce for it to be dangerous. People were told that it was perfectly safe to drive across Galloping Gertie, as it had been nicknamed by the locals.
