Date:  Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Contact: Kris Olsen, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4475
Archie Allen, Bridge Superintendent, 425-739-3700

SEATTLE – WSDOT maintenance crews will close the SR 520 floating bridge for annual weekend inspection and maintenance work Friday, June 19 at 11 p.m. The bridge will remain closed through Monday, June 22 at 5 a.m. The closure extends from Montlake Boulevard to 92nd Avenue NE.

During the closure, WSDOT bridge engineers will test the main power supply to the bridge and inspect the mechanical systems. Bridge engineers will also perform ultrasonic testing on the drawspan’s vertical guide rollers.

“The guide rollers help ensure the bridge can be opened smoothly and quickly,” said WSDOT Bridge Superintendent Archie Allen. “The ultrasonic testing allows us to ‘see’ inside the steel of the guide rollers to make sure they’re in good condition.”

Crews will also clean and lubricate the drawspan’s tracks, repair potholes, clean out drains, repair electrical cover plates, perform preventive maintenance on the swing gates at mid-span and remove graffiti.

“Doing this maintenance work while the bridge is closed for the inspection saves us time and money,” said Allen. “In a short amount of time, we can get a lot of work done that would normally require lane closures that could disrupt traffic for several weeks.”

WSDOT will release inspection results in mid-August.

Traffic closure details: 

• Crews will close SR 520 from Montlake Boulevard E. to 92nd Avenue NE around the clock beginning at 11 p.m. on Friday, June 19, until 5 a.m. Monday, June 22.
• Seattle drivers will be able to use SR 520 from I-5 to Montlake Boulevard E.
• Eastside drivers traveling westbound to Medina, Hunts Point, Clyde Hill, and Yarrow Point will be able to exit at 92nd Avenue NE. Detour routes will be marked.

Know before you go

There are a number of events around the area this weekend, including Mariners home games on Saturday and Sunday. Drivers should also plan ahead for the LIVESTRONG Challenge that will close the I-90 floating bridge express lanes to drivers from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 21 while cyclists make their way across Lake Washington.

What should drivers do?

• Plan ahead and allow extra time for trips, particularly on the I-90 floating bridge before the Mariners games.
• Use the overhead freeway signs and the 511 driver information line to get up-to-minute information on the road.
• Check the Seattle traffic map to pinpoint and avoid congestion www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle.
• Check for weekend construction at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Northwest/construction.

About the SR 520 Evergreen Point floating bridge

The SR 520 floating bridge and approach structures are vulnerable to earthquakes and windstorms, and need to be replaced. As the aging SR 520 bridge nears the end of its useful life, WSDOT has been performing annual bridge maintenance and inspections since the early 1990s to be sure the SR 520 bridge is safe for drivers.

With tolling authorized on the SR 520 bridge to start in 2010, WSDOT can begin building a new pontoon construction site in Grays Harbor next year, and pontoons at this new site starting in 2012. This work will bring approximately 2,000 jobs to the Grays Harbor area at the height of construction. In 2014, WSDOT will be able to use the pontoons to open a new four-lane floating bridge to drivers across Lake Washington.

For more information about the SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program, visit the program Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/SR520Bridge. 

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WSDOT keeps people, businesses and the economy moving by operating and improving the state's transportation systems. To learn more about what we're doing, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/news for pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real time traffic information is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/ or by dialing 511.

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