The new Highway 520 bike-and-pedestrian bridge in Seattle’s Montlake neighborhood opened Saturday, the culmination of years of work to smooth the hectic crossing.
Opening ceremonies for the bridge were scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, followed by a free group bicycle ride and guided tours.
The paved bridge connects Washington Park Arboretum trails with Montlake and the University District, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation . The bridge is part of a $486 million interchange contract by Graham Construction.
In addition to the 14-foot-wide paved trail, the grassy 3-acre Montlake lid park just west of the trail crossing also opened to pedestrians Saturday. Related
A new Seattle bike bridge arrives at Montlake
New walk-bike bridge over Highway 520
A landscaped overpass will open Saturday at 11 a.m., with connections to the University of Washington, Montlake neighborhood and Washington Park Arboretum.Sources: Esri, Washington State Department of Transportation (Reporting by Mike Lindblom, maps by Mark Nowlin / The Seattle Times)“This is a new generation of DOT. We are building multimodal solutions that incorporate land, to give the users a feeling of being away from roads,” project spokesperson Steve Peer said in a previous interview. “We’ve changed as an agency.”WSDOT designed the bridge at 73 feet wide, far broader than the curving paved path. Travelers will be nestled between soil berms on each side, about 5 feet high, to dampen the freeway noise.WSDOT designed such a wide bridge, double the size of a normal car overpass, purely to offer a pleasant experience, Peer said.“It […]
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