Washington State Project Opens to Vehicles on Schedule

The new westbound SR 520 lanes opened to traffic early Monday morning, as designed and on schedule, between the floating bridge on Lake Washington and the Montlake neighborhood in Seattle. The opening comes 54 years to the day since the original SR 520 floating bridge opened in 1963. Flatiron crews worked around the clock over the past weekend, August 25-28, to complete the tie-in between the new structure and the existing westbound lanes, pave the new alignment, set new precast barrier and guardrail, relocate the westbound SR 520 Montlake bus stop, stripe new lanes, and install new signage and lighting.

The project, valued at approximately $206 Million, consists of a new 6,000 foot, 41 span precast concrete girder bridge—built to modern earthquake standards and environmental improvements including enhancements to the Arboretum trail. The project will also connect the cities of Bellevue and Seattle with a dedicated 14’ bicycle and pedestrian path across Lake Washington.