WSDOT Simulations, the Tranquil Edition
If that Alaskan Way Viaduct earthquake simulation video left the coppery taste of panic in your mouth, we invite you to take in the relative placidity of some other WSDOT simulations. These design simulations show three proposed options (Options A, K, and L) for the new SR 520 bridge, and they're kind of incredibly relaxing.
Although the simulations were released this April, consider them the antidote to the sight of Seattle lit only by the flames of waterfront fires. Rather than showing major roads collapsing into flames in excruciating detail, these move with the serenity of a pod of whales. Accompanied by music we swear we've heard in an acupuncturist's lobby, these depict the new bridge options as efficient, utopian dream. The camera begins at a bird's-eye view of the I-5/520 intersection on a beautiful cloudless day, then zooms in slowly to show traffic moving steadily across the bridge, following cars across the mirror-still water. It all looks like the perfect morning commute. Option A:
That's not to say the possibility of Michael Bay-level disaster doesn't exist for the 520--both the Evergreen Point Bridge and the Portage Bay Bridge are as vulnerable to earthquake damage as the Viaduct. Do not click that link unless you relish the aforementioned coppery taste of panic.
