WSDOT: 520 work a success | Development

WSDOT crews reopened SR 520 this morning after a productive weekend of inspections and repairs on the floating bridge.

"We completed a month's worth of work in just one weekend," Archie Allen, WSDOT bridge superintendent said in a press release. "The bridge is better prepared for the strong winter wind and waves now. Our work helps keep this vital link open during the storms."

Crews also carved a nearly 30-foot-deep trench across all lanes to install a fish-passable culvert beneath the highway near 84th Avenue Northeast in Hunts Point, and installed tolling-rate signs on the east high rise. The trench was refilled and repaved in time for the Monday morning commute.

Of course - because SR 520 from I-405 to Montlake Boulevard and the I-5 ramps to and from Mercer Street were closed all weekend, traffic was heavier than usual on I-5, I-90 and I-405. But WSDOT officials said things ran pretty smooth.

"Drivers were awesome and adjusted their schedules to avoid congestion," Brian Dobbins, construction manager for the SR 520 Eastside Transit and HOV Project said in a press release. "Thanks to help from drivers, we were able to complete both our bridge maintenance and highway construction at the same time."

The next SR 520 weekend closure is scheduled for August 26-29. It's all part of a three-year project to widen the highway for better safety and travel reliability.