George Washington Memorial Bridge
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| Aurora Bridge | |
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| Official name | George Washington Memorial Bridge |
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| Carries | Aurora Avenue (Washington State Route 99) |
| Crosses | Lake Washington Ship Canal |
| Locale | Seattle, Washington |
| Maintained by | Washington State Department of Transportation |
| Design | Cantilever bridge |
| Total length | 897.6 m (2,945 feet) |
| Width | 21.3 m (70 feet) |
| Clearance below | 50.9 m (167 feet) |
| Opening date | February 22, 1932 |
| Coordinates | |
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.
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. With 39 deaths in the past decade, it has been labeled a suicide bridge.[1], and in December 2006 six emergency phones and 18 signs were installed on the bridge to encourage people to seek help instead of jumping. The signs say: "Suicidal?" and give the number of a 24-crisis line in bold yellow type. 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.
 View of the underside of the Aurora Bridge, taken just in front of the Fremont Troll. |
 Photographed here from the Fremont side, looking toward Queen Anne Hill. |
[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
- ‘Suicide bridge’ hurts workers’ mental health, MSNBC, January 26, 2007
- Life After The Fall: Survivors of suicide attempts off Aurora Bridge share their scars and a zeal for living, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 5, 1996
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| Road bridges: | Alaskan Way Viaduct | Ballard Bridge | Evergreen Point Floating Bridge | First Avenue South Bridge | Fremont Bridge | George Washington Memorial Bridge (Aurora Bridge) | Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge (Third Lake Washington Floating Bridge) | Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge (I-90 Floating Bridge) | Magnolia Bridge | Montlake Bridge | Ship Canal Bridge | South Park (14th/16th Ave) Bridge | Spokane Street Bridge | University Bridge | West Seattle Bridge | |
| Rail bridges/trestles: | Salmon Bay Bridge | Wilburton Trestle | |
| Tunnels: | Battery Street Tunnel | Great Northern Tunnel | Mercer Island Lid | Metro Bus Tunnel | Mount Baker Tunnel | |
| Crossings of the Lake Washington Ship Canal | |||
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| Upstream Ship Canal Bridge |
George Washington Memorial Bridge (Aurora Bridge) |
Downstream Fremont Bridge |
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