The current paralysis on state Route 520 creates instant flashbacks for those familiar with history: the collapse of the original Tacoma Narrows bridge, "Galloping Gertie," in 1940; the West Seattle drawbridge locked in "up" position for almost two years after being hit by a freighter in 1978; the sinkings of the Hood Canal Bridge in 1979 and the I-90 bridge in 1990.
The greatest ongoing risk to 520 is structural collapse of the Evergreen Point floating bridge, the longest structure of its kind in the world. Experts say it can withstand only one more 20-year storm. This equates to a 40 percent chance of the bridge failing within a decade....As key highway links age or hit maximum capacity, the challenge of creative replacement becomes inescapable...Every panelist noted Seattle's current wealth. Yet (Seattle Mayor Paul) Schell and others mused over how this translates into public investment. The mayor said "the biggest challenge is how to fit 19th century governments into 21st century problems -- at a time when people don't want to pay for improvements. There is no constituency for change, yet change is inevitable." Read More ›