Results tagged “floatingbridge”

All apologies to anyone involved in this accident on the floating bridge, but the headline "Loose bucket blamed for multi-car crash on I-90" only makes us think of this:

Hey-oh! So westbound I-90 closure began yesterday on the floating bridge and it'll remain two lanes until July 20, which WSDOT is quick to point out is a whole week ahead of schedule. Drivers are being funneled into the express lanes for the duration of the project, which is to replace the expansion joints.

The SR 520 reopened to traffic this morning, after a weekend closure for transportation crews and the floating bridge's annual inspection. Visitors saw firsthand the impact of 120,000 daily vehicles after peering into the big, hollow concrete pontoons that are holding up the aging bridge. While crews patched 520's cracks, the question continues to loom over the bridge's longevity, especially in the event of an earthquake. If anything, this inspection solidified the need for the new bridge, which is expected to open in 2014--although it will come at the cost of pricy tolls on the 520, expected to begin next fall.

If you have to head east this weekend, your only options to get across Lake Washington are to take I-90 or the long drive north around the lake. (Technically you could also boat, paddle, or swim across we suppose.) State Route 520/The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge will be closed for the entirety of the weekend--from 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday--for its annual inspection. The closure affects the span of SR520 from Montlake Boulevard to 92nd Avenue N.E.

In January, Governor Gregoire announced her support to toll the 520 bridge. Today, Gregoire announced lawmakers have approved the aggressive strategy to toll the 520 bridge to help finance the cost of building a new floating bridge across Lake Washington. The toll amounts have not been finalized. The new bridge will cost $4 billion, and commuters will pay for half. According to the Seattle Times, the toll could be as much as $7 each way during rush hour. The idea is good—we need a new bridge.