January 22, 2023 - A Trail Above A Trail

A weekend closure of the 520 Floating Bridge made for a peaceful stroll along the pedestrian / bicycle portion of the typically busy bridge.  The west end of the pedestrian bicycle path on the bridge looks down on the Arboretum Waterfront Trail that connects Foster Island, Marsh Island and the Montlake neighborhood.  

A pair of Great Blue Herons didn't seem to miss the usual road noise.

The empty lanes of 520.

A view looking west towards I5 and the Montlake lid where an additional 13 girders were being placed across the freeway this weekend.

October 2, 2022 - Specular Bridge

 

A Sunday morning stroll through the Washington Park Arboretum and under the Evergreen Floating Bridge provides some unique views.

 

The original 520 bridge opened in 1963.  The Evergreen Floating Bridge, generally called the 520 Bridge and never the Governor Albert Rosellini bridge, was rebuilt in 2016.  At 7710 feet it is the largest floating bridge in the world.  Just to the east of the columns in the top photo the road surface slopes down to 77 concrete pontoons that support the 6 lanes of traffic 20' above the surface of the 220' deep Lake Washington.  

While the bridge is open, construction will continue through 2030 enhancing this portion of State Route 520.  The fabric seen hanging down below the underside of the bridge and many of the temporary columns and access bridges will eventually be removed.

April 5, 2021 - Night Sakura

The thirty Yoshino cherry trees blossoming at the Quad on the University of Washington campus were planted at the Washington Arboretum in 1939.  They were relocated here when construction of the Evergreen Floating Bridge began.  These flowering cherries (sakura) are the same type of tree as those found at Tidal Basin Park in Washington, DC. 

The trees have been blooming every spring for decades, but the numbers of visitors that come to view the blossoms are a more recent development.  (Think: Social media.)  With the pandemic, people were asked to view the blossoms remotely or, if in person, to maintain good social distancing practices.  Visiting the sakura at night limits the number of people in your photos and there's no problem maintaining good social distancing practices.

 

June 18, 2017 - Around (and Above) Seattle

A 20 minute circuit around Seattle in a float plane beginning and ending from Lake Union provides a perspective most don't typically see.  Being able to look down on the buildings of downtown, the University of Washington campus, Husky Stadium, the new 520 floating bridge, Safeco and Century Link Fields and the waterfront is a great way to see Seattle! 

August 3, 2012 - Sound of Freedom: Worth the Toll

(Not necessarily great pictures, but worth posting.)

The Blue Angels as taken from the passenger seat while driving across the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge.  The commute happened to coincide with their performance and for once the toll was money well spent:  The sun, blue skies, gorgeous scenery, Mount Rainier AND the Blue Angels!

The US Navy's Demonstration Squadron was performing as part of the Boeing Airshow over Seattle's Lake Washington.  An airshow, visits by naval vessels, hydroplane races and (usually) sun are all traditions of  this weekend, the culmination of summer long festivities in Seattle.

The F/A 18 Hornets are the Blue Angels' ride at the moment. McDonnell Douglas originally designed and produced the aircraft  prior to their merger with Boeing. The maneuvers during the show are as low as 50 feet from the water and at some points during the show they aircraft approach 700 mph, just below mach 1.  At times when flying in the diamond formation above they are as close as 18 inches away from one another. Their rehearsals and performance fill the neighborhoods around Seattle with the "Sound of Freedom".

February 4, 2012 - Under Overpass

The offramps and approaches to the floating portion of the Governor Albert D. Rosellini - Evergreen Bridge as viewed near Foster Island on the western shores of Lake Washington.  The tranquility at this level, and at this time of night, belies the 115,000 vehicles that utilize this bridge each day.  At nearly 7,500 feet, the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, opened in 1963, is the longest floating bridge in the world.  It carries Washington's State Route 520 across Lake Washington where the water in some places is over 200 feet deep.