George Washington Memorial Bridge

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The George Washington Memorial Bridge (commonly called the Aurora Bridge) is a cantilever bridge that carries Aurora Avenue (Washington State Route 99) over the west end of Seattle's Lake Union between Queen Anne and Fremont. It is 897.6 m (2,945 feet) long, 21.3 m (70 feet) wide, and 50.9 m (167 feet) above Lake Union. It is owned and operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation.

View of the underside of the Aurora Bridge, taken just in front of the Troll

The bridge was dedicated on February 22, 1932, George Washington's 200th birthday. It opened to traffic on February 27. In 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. A local landmark, the Fremont Troll, a large cement sculpture of a fantasy-style troll eating a real-life VW Beetle, sits under the bridge on the north side.

The bridge's height and pedestrian access make it a popular location for suicide. The bridge also played host to the worst bus accident in Metro Transit history. A driver on a southbound route 359 articulated bus was shot and killed by a passenger, who then turned the gun on himself. During the struggle, the bus veered across two lanes of traffic and plunged off the bridge onto the roof of an apartment building below. In addition to the deaths of the driver and gunman, one other passenger also died as a result from the accident.

Coordinates: 47.64657° N 122.34727° W

[edit] References

• JUMPERS: Take It to the Bridge, The Stranger, April 13, 2000
• Metro bus plunges off Seattle's Aurora Bridge after driver is shot, HistoryLink, November 27, 1998
• Seattle's George Washington Memorial Bridge (Aurora Bridge) is dedicated, HistoryLink, February 22, 1932

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