Thousands of people turned out on Saturday for festivities celebrating the opening of the new State Route 520 floating bridge across Lake Washington — so many that the state Department of Transportation declared the event “at capacity” and halted buses that had been expected to shuttle additional people to the structure.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee cut an orange ribbon at the middle of the 2.4km-long span to commemorate the completion of work, more than 12,000 people participated in a 10K fun run and a representative of Guinness World Records presented a certificate designating it the world’s longest floating bridge — at 2,349.4m, it is 39.6m longer than the old one.
“This is what it’s all about — seeing years of public engagement, planning, design and construction all come to fruition,” acting transportation secretary Roger Millar said. “This grand bridge is going to serve our region well for a long, long time.”
The six-lane bridge, which replaces a four-lane version built in 1963, does not fully open to car traffic until later this month — Monday next week for westbound traffic and April 25 for both directions.
The state said it features heavier, stronger pontoons and anchors that allow the structure to withstand stronger winds and waves; a bus and carpool lane in each direction; a 4m-wide bike and pedestrian path; and system to collect and treat storm water, which would improve water quality in Lake Washington.
The old bridge is expected to be dismantled by the end of the year.
The celebration also featured interactive exhibits for children focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
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