Gov. Jay Inslee gathered today (Wednesday, Oct. 15) with federal, state and local officials on the never-completed R.H. Thomson Expressway “Ramps to Nowhere” in Seattle to kick off construction of the state Route 520 West Approach Bridge North Project.
The first construction activities include demolition of the abandoned ramps in the Washington Park Arboretum and construction of a work platform that crews will use to build the new approach.
The new, 1.2-mile-long approach is nearly as long as the new floating bridge. Scheduled for completion in 2017, the new West Approach Bridge North will carry three westbound lanes of traffic from the new floating bridge to Montlake and connect the new bicycle-pedestrian path from the floating bridge into Seattle.
Today’s groundbreaking included Inslee, Congressman Jim McDermott, state Rep. Judy Clibborn, King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, state Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson and project contractor Flatiron West Inc. Also present were regional business leaders and representatives of the University of Washington, the Washington Park Arboretum and the Federal Highway Administration.
The new floating bridge is scheduled to open to drivers in spring 2016. Sixty-six of the 77 massive pontoons that make up the backbone of the new bridge are now constructed, with the rest slated for completion by next spring.