KPLU Local News
(2009-11-16)
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Flickr photo by chispita_666
A replacement for downtown Seattle's viaduct has been getting a lot of attention - but there's an equally challenging state highway project that crosses Lake Washington. The question is how to replace the aging Route-520 bridge. A committee is supposed to vote today [Tuesday, 11/17] on which option to recommend to the legislature.
The artist renderings on the official website for a new SR-520 bridge reveal how huge the impact might be. One calls for a second drawbridge across the Montlake cut, near Husky stadium, mowing down nearby homes. Another has a vast new highway interchange on the edge of the state's premier arboretum.
"All the options have dramatic impacts," says Jonathan Dubman, who represents the Montlake neighborhood on transportation issues. He says the challenge is how to connect cars and especially buses from the floating bridge to the University of Washington, and a new light rail station at Husky stadium. In between is the ship canal.
The cheapest option, known as option-A, would add another drawbridge. But Dubman says most of the nearby communities "despise" that option, "because it's huge and it doesn't work." It would also dump a lot more traffic on congested streets in the area.
The communities prefer a tunnel. It would only run a couple hundred yards, but passing through a sensitive marine area. It's projected to cost more than a billion dollars extra.
The area is so tight with environmental and neighborhood needs that it's bedeviled engineers for a decade. State Representative Scott White (D, North Seattle), chairman of a task force that has to make a recommendation, says he's heard those criticisms, but also people who "just want the bridge rebuilt...and they don't want more delays."
A major windstorm could sink the mid-section of the current bridge, and an earthquake could bring down the elevated portions near Montlake. The legislature has already authorized tolls to start on the bridge next year, and a six-lane replacement for the floating mid-section. But, there's still not enough money to replace the entire bridge, no matter which option is chosen on the Seattle side of the lake.
The Legislative Workgroup on the SR-520 Bridge replacement meets Tuesday, 10am-2pm, at Sound Transit headquarters. The panel is soliciting public comment at a meeting on November 24th. A recommendation is due on the Governor's desk by January first. To see images and learn more about the options and meetings, check out SR-520 Workgroup's website.
Option A
Option K
Option L
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