Date:
Monday, July 11, 2005
Contact:
John Milton, SR 520 Bridge Project Chief Engineer (206) 381-6400 (Seattle)
Jon Higgins, SR 520 Bridge Project Communications (206) 464-1184 (Seattle)
SEATTLE - WSDOT inspectors have found no significant structural or mechanical deficiencies on the SR 520 Evergreen Point Floating Bridge. In addition to this past weekend's wear-and-tear repairs and routine maintenance work, structural inspections included ultrasound work to check for cracks in the structure, visual observation along the length of the bridge, a check up of expansion joints and electrical work.
Like the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the SR 520 facility is vulnerable to earthquakes, but it also has a unique susceptibility to windstorms and waves. Today the SR 520 Evergreen Point Bridge is reaching the end of its useful life.
Timeline of recent SR 520 Bridge happenings:
· January 1993 - Inaugural Day Storm swept 70-80 mph winds across Pacific Northwest, seriously damaging SR 520 floating bridge pontoons.
· Late 1993/Early 1994 - WSDOT seals 5,915 linear feet of floating bridge pontoon wall cracks and 24,000 linear feet of floating bridge pontoon floor cracks.
· Summer 1997 - Replaced all pontoon connection bolts, additional sealing of pontoon cracks to prepare for upcoming floating bridge retrofit.
· 1998-1999 - WSDOT completes major retrofit work on the aging bridge, tightening pontoons together with added cables and supports.
· July 1999 - Barge hits SR 520 bridge's west highrise, major column repairs done.
· July 2003 - Washington State Legislature passes the Transportation Funding Package, allocating $53 million to begin SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Project.
·April/May 2005 - Washington State Legislature passes Transportation Partnership Bill, signed into law by Govenor Gregoire. The package allocated $500 million for the SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Project.
· July 2005 - SR 520 Evergreen Point Floating Bridge given good bill of health for time being.
Future tolls will add an additional $700 million to the roughly $553 million received so far. Regional funding is still needed to fund the much-needed replacement.
For more information visit the project Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/SR520Bridge.
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