Purdy is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place north of the city of Gig Harbor, and at the junction of Washington State Routes 16 and 302 on the northern boundary of Pierce County, Washington.
The town of Purdy with the Purdy Bridge and Purdy Sandspit visible in the background
Purdy, Washington
Washington State Route 16
State Route 16 (SR 16) is a 27.16-mile-long (43.71 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Washington, connecting Pierce and Kitsap counties. The highway, signed as east–west, begins at an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5) in Tacoma and travels through the city as a freeway towards the Tacoma Narrows. SR 16 crosses the narrows onto the Kitsap Peninsula on the partially tolled Tacoma Narrows Bridge and continues through Gig Harbor and Port Orchard before the freeway ends in Gorst. The designation ends at an intersection with SR 3 southwest of the beginning of its freeway through Bremerton and Poulsbo. SR 16 is designated as a Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET) corridor within the National Highway System as the main thoroughfare connecting Tacoma to Naval Base Kitsap and a part of the Highways of Statewide Significance program.
The twinned Tacoma Narrows Bridge carries SR 16 between Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula
The current westbound (left) and now-demolished eastbound (right) portions of the Nalley Valley Viaduct, carrying SR 16 through Tacoma.
The original Tacoma Narrows Bridge, also known by its nickname of "Galloping Gertie", during its opening on July 1, 1940.