Date:
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Contact:
Archie Allen, WSDOT Bridge Superintendent, (425) 739-3700 (Bellevue)
Doug Haight, WSDOT Project Engineer, (425) 649-4429 (Bellevue)
Myly Posse, WSDOT Communications, (206) 440-4700 (Seattle)
SEATTLE - Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) bridge crews plan to close the SR 520 Evergreen Point Floating Bridge beginning at 11 p.m. Friday, July 13, to perform annual inspections and maintenance work. The closure is extremely weather sensitive this year because crews will also place a test section of quieter pavement on the east side between Medina and Bellevue, and dry weather is crucial for successful installation. Engineers will review forecasts and announce their decision to proceed with the closure or delay the work on Thursday, July 12.
If weather cooperates, crews will close SR 520 from Montlake Boulevard to 108th Avenue NE (Bellevue Way NE) around the clock beginning at 11 p.m. on Friday, July 13, until 5 a.m. Monday, July 16.
If weather delays the closure, engineers will reschedule maintenance and paving activities for the following weekend (July 20 -22).
This summer’s maintenance activities include repairs of a catwalk that broke off during the December 2006 windstorm near the drawspan. Crews rebuilt a stronger catwalk and will install it during the closure to regain easy access to the draw mechanism. Additionally, crews will patch the west side bridge deck to address normal wear and tear and maintain a smooth ride for drivers.
Throughout the weekend, crews will also test drawspan parts to make sure they remain in working order, clear overgrown vegetation, fix lighting, refresh lane lines and sweep debris off the roadway. Normally this type of maintenance work would require a series of lane closures. Combining the additional maintenance items with bridge inspection activities increases safety, reduces traffic disruptions and ultimately saves taxpayer dollars by condensing the time required to complete the work.
While WSDOT crews focus on bridge maintenance and inspection work, Wilder Construction crews will install a 1.6 mile test section of quieter pavement on SR 520 from the east end of Medina to just west of Bellevue Way NE. Engineers will study the test section for at least five years to measure its effectiveness, durability and how well it withstands conditions like snow, rain, traffic and studded tires. The $5 million SR 520 Quieter Pavement Project is funded through the 2005 Transportation Partnership gas tax and is one of several projects in Washington State that is testing how quieter pavement performs in the Pacific Northwest's unique driving and climate conditions.
Since the early 90s WSDOT has been performing annual summer maintenance on the aging SR 520 bridge. The SR 520 bridges and structures are vulnerable to earthquakes and windstorms, and need to be replaced. The new SR 520 with a "4 + 2" lane corridor configuration will keep drivers safer, improve travel-time reliability for people crossing the lake and provide a new lane for transit and high occupancy vehicles. The new SR 520 floating bridge will also support future high capacity transit on the pontoons. The SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Project is scheduled for completion in 2020.
For more information about the SR 520 Bridge Replacement project, visit the project Web site at:www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/SR520Bridge.
For more information about the SR 520 Quieter Pavement project, please visit:www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR520/EastsideQuiet/
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