It was built in 1930 and connects the neighborhoods of Magnolia and Interbay over the filled-in tidelands of Smith Cove.

It carries W. Garfield Street from Magnolia Way W. in the west to the intersection of Elliott and 15th Avenues W. in the east.

The wooden trestle was replaced by a concrete structure in 1930 and improved in 1957 to provide a grade separation from Elliott Avenue West.

[1] The bridge's support columns were damaged by the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, temporarily closing it for repairs.

As part of disaster-relief funding after the earthquake, a replacement for the Magnolia Bridge was granted $9 million in federal funds, but design of the new bridge stalled in the late 2000s.