Evergreen Point Floating Bridge

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 (at least $127 million in 2011 dollars). 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. 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.

Drawspan opening

The bridge was built with a drawspan in the center that could open for boats too tall to go under the bridge. The bridge opened by raising two 100-foot-long steel grids about 7 feet and moving an adjacent pontoon beneath them.

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.

Replacement bridge

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. To help provide the political lubrication needed for any plan to go forward, the Trans-Lake Study was commissioned by the State of Washington. The study brought together 47 representatives of public agencies, neighborhoods, businesses, and advocacy interests.

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). The bridge needed to be closed to traffic 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 deck currently rides about 1 foot (30 cm) lower in the water than it did originally.

In 2011, WSDOT broke ground on the replacement bridge. On April 2, 2016, WSDOT held a grand opening ceremony, allowing the public to explore the top deck of the new bridge on the westbound side. The replacement bridge opened to westbound traffic on April 11, 2016, and opened to eastbound traffic on April 25, 2016. The old bridge was permanently closed at 23:00 PDT on April 22, 2016, with demolition expected to be completed by the end of 2016.

Construction

The cost of all improvements to SR-520 between I-5 and I-405, including the new bridge, is forecast to be $4.65 billion.

The first of 21 longitudinal pontoons were positioned on August 11, 2012. Each pontoon is 360 feet (110 meters) long and 75 feet (23 meters) wide. The pontoons were constructed in Aberdeen by Kiewit Construction. Pontoon construction was plagued by errors and shoddy construction. Reports included workers installing the wrong size of rebar, installing it in the wrong location, rebar being missing, and pouring concrete in weather that was too wet or too cold. Several of the new pontoons have had problems with cracking, which has been blamed on Kiewit's poor work. An independent auditor stated that there is a long-running pattern of poor-quality work and stated that WSDOT has failed to force corrective action on Kiewit. An inspector for the construction called it a disaster waiting to happen, adding "I won't drive across that bridge when they have it built."

By the end of February 2015, enough of the new bridge was in place to block tall ships that used to pass through a drawspan in the Rosellini Bridge. In early July 2015, the westernmost floating pontoon was moved to make room for the installation of the west end of the bridge; on July 8, 2015, all longitutional pontoons for the new bridge were in place.

Tolling

When the bridge opened in 1963, a 35 cent toll was collected to fund the bridge. This tolling ended in 1979 when the bridge was paid off. Tolling resumed in 2011 to fund the original bridge's replacement.

To fund the new bridge, in May 2009, Gov. Christine Gregoire signed ESHB 2211, which authorized tolling on the SR 520 bridge beginning in 2010. Tolling actually began on December 29, 2011 and has assisted WSDOT in funding the project. The State Transportation Commission has proposed a toll of US$3.59 each way during peak periods. The proposed rates during other hours are to range from $0 to $2.87.

All tolling is done automatically with no tollbooths. Tolling for people without "Good to Go" passes is done by license plates. Toll readers were located on gantries at the east highrise, but additional gantries on the east mainland were added to facilitate tolling on the new bridge once opened.

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. The initiative was defeated by Washington voters.