Grand opening of Highway 520’s new floating bridge just around the corner
Jan 11, 2016, 10:58 PM | Updated: May 7, 2016, 11:01 pm
The new Highway 520 floating bridge will open to the public the first weekend of April. And to honor the moment, the state is planning a big party.
At least one bicycle club has hinted that it will be riding across the new bridge that weekend as part of a giant celebration.
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The state plans a bike ride, a fun run and a bunch of other activities to celebrate the milestone. Highway 520 could be closed for two days for the celebration.
However, bridge will not open to drivers until at least April 11. Eastbound lanes could open as late as April 25.
David Becher, director of construction for Highway 520, said this new bridge will be a big improvement. It will have six lanes, instead of four, and it will come with a wide pedestrian and bicycle path.
HOV requirements on the bridge will be three-plus people, according to WSDOT.
What’s also impressive is the engineering. Workers had to anchor 21 pontoons together that are longer than football fields, and secure them with 20-foot long bolts.
And Becher notes that only a few of them, on the first connection, failed to fit properly.
The new bridge is higher than its predecessor, so it won’t be closed when there are heavy waves on the lake. It’s designed to handle 89-mile-an-hour wind gusts.
And 99 percent of the maintenance work can be performed from underneath so fewer closures will be needed.
As for the rest of the project, here’s the timeline:
• The Montlake connection to the floating bridge is scheduled to open in 2017.
• Officials are just starting design work on what the connection to I-5 will look like, but it’s finally funded.
