Date:  Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Contact: Jeff Switzer, SR 520 Communications, 206-770-3547, 206-819-7230 (cell)
What’s happening in the next 24 hours: www.wsdot.wa.gov/construction/2010/today.htm

Drivers should allow extra time getting across Lake Washington Aug. 20-23

SEATTLE – Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) maintenance crews will spend this weekend inspecting and making repairs to the aging State Route 520 floating bridge to make sure it will continue to carry traffic safely through winter weather. While the bridge is closed, drivers should allow extra time to travel across or around Lake Washington during the work.

The annual weekend bridge closure starts at 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, and the bridge will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 23. The closure extends from Montlake Boulevard in Seattle to 92nd Avenue NE on the Eastside.

During the closure, WSDOT bridge engineers will conduct in-depth mechanical and electrical inspections on the main power supply to the bridge and the mechanical systems. Bridge engineers also will perform ultrasonic testing to analyze the condition of the drawspan’s steel vertical guide rollers. The guide rollers are a key part of the drawspan and are used to open and close the bridge for vessels or to relieve pressure on the bridge during heavy winds.

“These in-depth inspections and preventative maintenance will make sure the bridge is ready for another storm season,” said WSDOT Bridge Superintendent Archie Allen. “If any problems are identified, we have a couple of months to correct them before winter weather sets in.”

Crews also will clean, lubricate and repair the drawspan tracks, clean out drains, repair electrical cover plates, and perform preventative maintenance on the swing gates at mid-span.

“These systems must operate properly so that during a storm we can quickly open the drawspan and protect the bridge from damage,” Allen said.

Inspection results will be available in coming months.

Traffic closure details

• Where: Crews will completely close SR 520 from Montlake Boulevard E. in Seattle to 92nd Avenue NE in Medina.
• When: 11 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 20, until 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 23.
• Seattle drivers: SR 520 will remain open from I-5 to Montlake Boulevard E.
• Eastside drivers: SR 520 will remain open westbound to the 92nd Avenue NE exit.
• Alternate routes: I-90, I-405, I-5 and SR 522.

What should drivers do?

• Plan ahead and allow extra time for trips across or around the lake. There are a number of events around the area this weekend. Three are at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21: a Seahawks pre-season game at Qwest Field; a Seattle Storm game at KeyArena; and a concert at Marymoor Park in Redmond.
• Use the overhead highway signs and the 511 driver information line to get up-to-the-minute information on the road.
• Check the Seattle traffic map to pinpoint and avoid congestion at 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 is vulnerable to windstorms and earthquakes and needs to be replaced. As the SR 520 bridge nears the end of its useful life, WSDOT has been performing annual bridge maintenance and inspections since the early 1990s to help keep the SR 520 bridge open to traffic until a new, more reliable bridge can be built.

With tolling scheduled to begin on the SR 520 floating bridge in 2011, WSDOT can begin building a new pontoon construction site in Grays Harbor and bridge pontoons at this new site. In 2014, WSDOT proposes to open a new 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.

More information also is available online about tolling and Smarter Highways signs planned in the SR 520 corridor.

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