Thanks for writing in. This is a hot topic since it affects a lot of you.

On Tuesday, June 24^th, 2008, the general public had numerous committees present various options for the new 520 bridge. We had our super traffic intern, Zach Midles, attend the meeting to see what they presented.

Here are some important facts that stood out:

We were assured there will be no complete bridge closure during construction of any plan they choose. This means that you will still be able to get across the lake around the same points no matter who they choose for the re-build.

The cost estimate has decreased! The initial estimate for the complete 405 reconstruction was $4.4 billion. The WSDOT committee estimated it will now cost from $3.7-3.9 billion.

All proposals have three lanes each way, one being the HOV lane (currently there are two lanes in both directions). Another addition is that both directions will have shoulders added in all options presented. Plus the westbound side will have a lane for bikes/pedestrians that will be exempt from paying a toll.

Speaking of tolls… We understand that is a scary word to a lot of commuters that aren’t used to them. The committee did say that drivers can expect to pay a toll. No amount was discussed but there is a tolling committee in place to discuss this further.

Here is a brief summary of the three designs that were presented:

The first, Alternative A, adds a second parallel Montlake Bridge . The second, Alternative K, provides a tunnel, while the third plan that they’re calling, Alternative L, has a drawbridge.

Drawings of plans can be found at this link.

Finally, the construction on the option they choose is set to start in 2012, with a completion date expected to be around 2018.

For more information, you can always go to WSDOT’s website.