Spend your afterlife on the old 520 bridge

Dumping old patio concrete is much different than disposing of massive pontoons used to float the 520 bridge.

A Washington State University architecture graduate student wondered how the state will dispose of the infrastructure as it replaces it with a new bridge in 2014. Sara Strouse posed the question in an international competition, which she’s using for her graduate thesis project.

More than 70 design plans were submitted from more than 100 teams from 20 different countries. The winning design will get $3,000 from sponsors.

The designs include floating housing and office space or a cemetery.

“They’re taking the pontoons and creating pockets for crypts. They’re creating an ash pool so that people can release ashes into the water without it invading the ecosystem,” explained Strouse.

She said the judges looked at truly innovative ideas and whether they were appropriate for Seattle. They talked about ‘well what are the people of Seattle like.’

“We discussed Gas Works Park, for instance and how that’s been a really big part of Seattle. The Fremont Troll and how we are interested in more funky things and we’re more accepting of things like that,” said Strouse.

The winning idea won’t necessarily come to fruition. Of course, Strouse said, the Washington State Department of Transportation and the state’s design build team have to make a decision about what will happen to the old pontoons.

The winner will be announced Friday and be displayed at the gallery for the Seattle Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

KIRO Radio reporter Kim Shepard contributed to this report.