I decided to take a Sunday afternoon drive today to the ‘east side’: the east side of Lake Washington, that is. That is where the cities of Bellevue and Redmond, the home of Microsoft, are. My timing was bad – or good – depending how one looks at it. As I approached the bridge, a warning sign said to prepare to stop. The bridge had closed for some 30 mins due to allow for a draw span opening to let through sailboats and other vessels. It’s the first time I actually stopped on the bridge – and it is definitely floating. While sitting in the car, one feels the small shifts that the pontoon underneath the road surface makes as it floats on the water.
Meanwhile, right next to the bridge to its north, a massive construction project is on-going. Two cantilevered piers have been completed on the east side, and there is one more to go. This is to connect a new, replacement floating bridge, to the shore. The new bridge will accommodate road traffic as well as a light rail line.
