Evergreen Point Floating Bridge
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The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, officially the Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge--Evergreen Point, is the longest floating bridge in the world, at 7,578 feet (2,310 meters). It carries Washington State Route 520 across Lake Washington from Seattle to Medina.
Built as a four-lane toll bridge in 1963, it was the second bridge to cross Lake Washington and provided easy access from Seattle to Eastside communities such as Bellevue, Kirkland, and Redmond. Tolls were lifted in 1979, and in 1988 the bridge was named for Rosellini, who had pushed for its construction.
Today the bridge is near the end of its useful life, according to the state Department of Transportation. 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. The DOT is looking at replacing the aging bridge with a new span of six or eight lanes.
External links
- Bridge camera (includes some weather data) (http://traffic.wsdot.wa.gov/520/bridge/520.htm)
- Department of Transporation photo gallery (http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/SR520Bridge/photogallery.htm)