Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge—Evergreen Point

Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge—Evergreen Point

The bridge in 2009. Column-supported high-rises near the ends of the bridge are connected by a floating section.
Official name Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge—Evergreen Point
Carries 4 lanes of SR 520
Crosses Lake Washington
Locale Seattle, WA to Medina, WA
Maintained by Washington State Department of Transportation
Design Pontoon bridge with movable midsections
Total length 7,578 ft (2,310 m)
Opened August 28, 1963

The Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge—Evergreen Point (formerly the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, and commonly called the SR 520 Bridge or 520 Bridge) is the longest floating bridge on Earth at 2,285 metres (7,497 ft)[1] and carries State Route 520 across Lake Washington from Seattle to Medina.

The Evergreen Point of the bridge's original name is the westernmost of the three small Eastside peninsulas that SR-520 crosses. (The other two are Hunts Point and Yarrow Point.) In 1988, it was renamed for Rosellini, who had advocated its construction.[2]

The bridge is currently in poor condition. Construction is currently underway to replace it with a new floating bridge.

Contents

History

The bridge was opened for commuter traffic on August 28, 1963, after three years of construction. It was built as a four-lane toll bridge to provide easy access from Seattle to Eastside communities such as Bellevue, Kirkland, and Redmond. The total cost of the bridge, in 1961 dollars, was $21 million ($153 million in 2011 dollars[3]).[4] To make up for this cost, commuters paid a 35-cent toll in each direction until 1979. The toll booths were then converted into bus stops.

The bridge affected many communities on the Eastside. Redmond's population saw a dramatic increase, jumping from less than 1,500 in 1960 to 11,000 in 1970.[5] It was the second floating bridge to cross Lake Washington; the first was the Lake Washington Floating Bridge, built in 1940 as part of U.S. Route 10, later part of Interstate 90, which at its construction was the largest floating structure ever built.

In 1989, an electrical fault caused the drawspan to open during rush hour, causing one death and five injuries. In 2000, a gravel barge struck the bridge, closing it for eleven days and causing $500,000 worth of damage.

Future replacement

Today the bridge is near the end of its useful life, according to the state Department of Transportation. In 1997, Myint Lwin, WSDOT's chief bridge engineer at that time, said that even with repairs, the bridge could be expected to last only about twenty more years (until 2017).[6] The bridge must be closed in high winds, and even after a seismic retrofit in 1999, it is at risk of collapse in an earthquake. Because of the weight of various reinforcements over the years, the bridge currently rides about 1 foot (30 cm) lower in the water than it did originally. The DOT is working on replacing the aging bridge with a new span of six lanes.[7]

The bridge is anchored by a large number of high-strength cables. According to an interview conducted by local newspapers, a severe storm during the bridge's lifespan came within strands of breaking some of these cables, which would have resulted in the catastrophic collapse of the bridge. Since then, additional cables have been added, and much of the bridge has been replaced with lighter materials, but the danger remains. The bridge was originally designed to stand up to a 100-year storm, but the assumptions used actually reflected what is now considered to be a 20-year storm for the Seattle area.

Just five years after the bridge opened, a study commissioned by the state legislature was completed to figure out how to provide for the great demand for cross-lake transportation. That study evaluated bridge and tunnel crossings north and south of the bridge.[8] To help provide the political lubrication needed for any plan to go forward, the Trans-Lake Study was commissioned by the State of Washington.[9] The study brought together 47 representatives of public agencies, neighborhoods, businesses, and advocacy interests.[10] Ten years later, the problems have not been solved. WSDOT is proceeding with plans to build the bridge replacement, with an opening in 2014.[11] To fund these improvements, in May 2009, Gov. Gregoire signed ESHB 2211, which authorizes tolling on the SR 520 bridge beginning in 2010. The intent of tolling the SR 520 bridge is to allow WSDOT to secure revenue in order to begin pontoon construction in 2010, which is critical to replacing the SR 520 bridge by 2014.[12] Tolling began on December 29th, 2011. The State Transportation Commission has proposed a toll of US$3.50 each way during peak periods. The proposed rates during other hours are to range from $0 to $2.80.[13] Many groups continue to fight the project, even as it steadily moves toward construction.[14][15]

The cost of the new bridge is forecast to be $4.65 billion[16], which is 30 times the cost of the current bridge in 2011 dollars and equates to (assuming equivalent length to the current bridge) over $600,000 per foot. As of 2000, Seattle had 258,000 households[17], making the cost equivalent to $18,000 per household.

Tolling

On December 29th, 2011, tolling will start on the SR 520 floating bridge.[18] The revenue generated from the tolls will help pay for the replacement bridge.[16] All tolling will be done automatically with no tollbooths. Tolling for people without Good To Go! passes will be done by license plates.[19] Toll readers will be placed on gantries at the east highrise.[20]

Tim Eyman promoted Initiative 1125, which among other measures, would have banned the time-of-day tolling proposed for the bridge, required funding to be used on the road that collected the toll, and required tolls to be set by elected officials[21]. The initiative was defeated by Washington voters.[22]

Toll Schedule

Toll rates for two-axle vehicles (includes motorcycles). Multi-axle vehicles will pay a higher rate.

Day Time Rate: Good to Go Rate: License plate tolling
Monday-Friday Midnight to 5 a.m. $0.00 $0.00
5 a.m. to 6 a.m. $1.60 $3.10
6 a.m. to 7 a.m. $2.80 $4.30
7 a.m. to 9 a.m. $3.50 $5.00
9 a.m. to 10 a.m. $2.80 $4.30
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. $2.25 $3.75
2 p.m. to 3 p.m. $2.80 $4.30
3 p.m. to 6 p.m. $3.50 $5.00
6 p.m. to 7 p.m. $2.80 $4.30
7 p.m. to 9 p.m. $2.25 $3.75
9 p.m. to 11 p.m. $1.60 $3.10
11 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. $0.00 $0.00
Saturdays and Sundays Midnight to 5 a.m. $0.00 $0.00
5 a.m. to 8 a.m. $1.10 $2.60
8 a.m. to 11 a.m. $1.65 $3.15
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. $2.20 $3.70
6 p.m. to 9 p.m. $1.65 $3.15
9 p.m. to 11 p.m. $1.10 $2.60
11 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. $0.00 $0.00

[23]

Usage

The bridge carries 115,000 vehicles per day but was only designed to carry 65,000.[24] Because of this bottleneck, commuters often follow the motto "anything but the 520 bridge" during peak traffic, with I-90 or even a northbound loop around the lake via Bothell and Kenmore preferred as alternate routes.

Because Microsoft, one of the area's largest employers, is on the Eastside just off 520, traffic on the bridge tends to be heaviest west-to-east (away from Seattle) in the morning and east-to-west (toward Seattle) in the evening, opposite from what one might expect, a so-called "reverse commute". (The I-90 floating bridge has more typical traffic patterns, with commuters going into Seattle in the morning and returning east in the evening.) Commuters often use this knowledge to take the bridge with the least traffic for their desired trip at various times of day. Electronic signs on I-405 display estimated times to Seattle for both 520 and I-90 routes. Commuters jest about the traffic bottleneck that is created around the 520 bridge and Interstate 405, nicknaming it "The Kirkland Crawl" as it becomes parking lot traffic during peak rush hour, around the city of Kirkland where 520 (coming from Redmond and Microsoft) and 405 (south from Everett and Boeing) meet.

Scenery visible westbound on clear days include the Olympic Mountains and Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus, as well as two metal sculptures. Eastbound are expensive waterfront homes in Medina, including the large home of Bill Gates on the southern side, which is extensively lit during the holiday season.

On clear days, Mount Baker is visible to the north, the Cascade Mountains are the backdrop, and Mount Rainier is to the southeast. Mercer Island is to the south. On July 4, fireworks are visible from many communities and homes along the lake.

The bridge incorporates an infrequently used drawspan to allow large vessels to pass. These closures must be scheduled a minimum of two hours prior to the opening of the drawspan. No drawspan openings for marine traffic are allowed on weekdays between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. However with two hours notice the drawspan may be opened anytime on the weekend or federal holidays. Smaller vessels pass under the "high rises", elevated portions of the bridge on each end. The drawspan is also opened during major storms to relieve water pressure.[25]

References

  1. ^ WSDOT - SR 520 Bridge Facts. Washington State Department of Transportation. Accessed 22 May 2011.
  2. ^ "HistoryLink.org - The Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History". http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=690. 
  3. ^ "US Dollar Inflation Calculator". http://www.usinflationcalculator.com. 
  4. ^ "SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Project - Historic Archive Gallery". http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR520Bridge/Photos/historicgallery.htm. 
  5. ^ City of Redmond, "Redmond Comprehensive Plan". http://www.codepublishing.com/WA/Redmond/CompPlan/HTML/redmondcomptitle.html. , 2005
  6. ^ Whitely, Peyton. "New bridge first faces political, fiscal tests." "Seattle Times". http://archives.seattletimes.com/cgibin/texis.mumm/web/vortex/display?storyID=36d465a5&query=520+Bridge+Political. . 19 Feb. 1997.
  7. ^ "SR 520 - Bridge Replacement and HOV Project". Wsdot.wa.gov. 2010-08-25. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/SR520Bridge/. Retrieved 2011-08-29. 
  8. ^ Tudor Engineering Company for Washington State Highway Commission Department of Highways. Legislative Reconnaissance and Feasibility Report "Lake Washington Bridge Crossings, Parallel Evergreen Point Bridge, North Lake Bridge. December 1968.
  9. ^ Whitely, Peyton (28 May 1998), Group seeks ways to ease traffic congestion across lake, Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com/news/local/html98/alttran_052898.html 
  10. ^ Trans-Lake Study, June 1999, http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/translake/default.htm 
  11. ^ WSDOT. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR520Bridge/bridgeproject.htm
  12. ^ "ESRB 2211". http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?year=2009&bill=2211. 
  13. ^ Comments sought on proposed SR 520 toll rates. Kpbj.Com (2010-12-05). Retrieved on 2011-08-29.
  14. ^ "Northwest Progressive Institute Advocate 17 Nov 2009.". http://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2009/11/sr-520-working-group-votes-eleven-to.html. 
  15. ^ "Madison Park Blogger 18 Nov 2009". http://madisonparkblogger.blogspot.com/2009/11/sr-520-second-montlake-bridge-endorsed.html. 
  16. ^ a b "SR 520 Program - Costs, Funding and Tolling". WSDOT. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR520Bridge/financing.htm. Retrieved 10 December 2011. 
  17. ^ "Seattle statistics". http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Research/Population_Demographics/Prior_Censuses/1900-2000_Population_Housing_Trends/DPDS_007033.asp. 
  18. ^ "Tolling started on December 29 on the SR 520 Bridge". http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Tolling/520/publisher=WSDOT. Retrieved 10 December 2011. 
  19. ^ "Tolling started in December on the SR 520 Bridge". WSDOT. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Tolling/520tolling.htm. Retrieved 29 August 2011. 
  20. ^ "SR 520 Tolling Frequently Asked Questions". WSDOT. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Tolling/520FAQ.htm. Retrieved 29 August 2011. 
  21. ^ Michael Ennis (September 2011). "Citizens' Guide to Initiative 1125". Washington Policy Center. http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/brief/citizens-guide-initiative-1125. Retrieved January 3, 2011. 
  22. ^ "Gregoire, Reed Certify 2011 Election Returns". Mason County Daily News. December 7, 2011. http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/19603-gregoire-reed-certify-2011-election-returns. Retrieved January 3, 2011. 
  23. ^ "Toll Rates". WSDOT. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Tolling/TollRates.htm. 
  24. ^ Washington State Department of Transportation. "Quick Facts - SR 520 Bridge Replacement" (PDF). http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/2D5EF6AF-71D1-4E0A-AB51-6F8DA2D180DA/0/QuickFacts_Final.pdf. 
  25. ^ SR 520 Bridge - Why We Close It. Washington State Department of Transportation. See "Why does opening the bridge drawspan help in a windstorm?" Accessed 9 June 2011.

External links