Comments on: Past Post: When The 520 Bridge Was New

By: David

David — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:59:26 +0000

From 1998-2002 I lived just north of U village in Ravenna, but worked at Microsoft at Redmond or Bellevue, so crossing the 520 bridge was a common trip. There was then and no doubt still is lots of press inches written about the bridge in the SI. But one article said that before the bridge there was a ferry service from Evergreen point across. Re-introducing that doesn’t sound so bad. But as far as improving or replacing the bridge, Seattle folks will never OK it. It will have to sink before that happens.

By: Anthonio O. Phoutharathi

Anthonio O. Phoutharathi — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 05:17:24 +0000

my recommendation to the situation of 520 bridging in the future as I am formerly working for Sverdrup Corporation and Civil Engineering and drafting inventory plans in the last 20 years ago.
the bridge need to be re-design of long suspension,two post at evergreen rd/medina 100 foot away from the land and two other will be
200 feet away from zone area mounlake terrace apartment six lane continuing swing back connected to two exist north and south of I-5 free-way than attach the ram bothside of UW exist and aboretum japanese garden.

This is my opinion please email me: anthonyph2006@yahoo.com or
aphoutharathi@yahoo.com or leave mssg at ph.206-722-0534 at clinic office.
Thank you for your support!

By: Save the Ramp-to-Nowhere

Save the Ramp-to-Nowhere — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:05:57 +0000

The Arboretum Interchange has several stubs-to-nowhere and one ramp-to-nowhere. The ramp was not to be part of the R.H. Thomson Expressway but rather an on-ramp from Arboretum Drive to west bound 520 and Montlake Blvd northbound. The ramp is fully constructed except for the connections at either end. People can walk up on to it but not cars. This is the ramp that swimmers jump off of in the summer. Last time I saw it WSDOT was using it to park vehicles and store things on, so it may be (better) closed off now. Skip Knute Berger said on KUOW the other day that we should save these ramps as monuments to Seattle’s freeway revolt of the 1960s and 70s. SAVE THE RAMP-TO-NOWHERE!!!!

By: forest

forest — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:39:38 +0000

An old timer from Montlake told me that the bridge was voted down by tax-payers from day one. Interesting, much like the Kingdome. hum ?

By: Holly

Holly — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:55:10 +0000

I can tell you a bit about the RH Thomsen Expressway that was never built from the Montlake perspective. I live in Montlake and have become quite fascinated with my neighborhood’s history. Let’s just say my neighbors have very long memories.

The story is that after SR 520 was put in, there was going to be a freeway that would have been where MLK Way is now, cut through the Arboretum, into Laurelhurst, and then back around to Lake Union. Many people in the freeway’s proposed path threw quite a stink, particularly those in Montlake. You see, SR 520 caused a lot of property damage in my neighborhood, and people were understandably frightened about having another freeway in their backyard (literally).

Some houses along 26th Avenue E were bought up and left abandoned to a) make way for the freeway; and b) drive down property values on that side of the neighborhood. After the project was cancelled, that area became a nice little playground (for those local — it’s the greenbelt that goes north from 26th and Lynn).

This was really the incident that galvanized my neighbors into a rather powerful political force. It’s taken a different shape today in that the current generation is a bit more proactive (two of my neighbors are behind the Pacific Interchange option for the new 520 bridge — if it ever gets built).

By: Didi

Didi — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:43:49 +0000

LOL! Good one, Ben. I hadn’t thought of that.

By: Ben Lukoff

Ben Lukoff — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 22:10:08 +0000

Well, in their defence, the bridge was built before the expressway was started and canceled, so the two are unrelated

As for not taking the ramps down, I suppose they felt they couldn’t justify the expense. And maybe, just maybe, they thought there might be a use for them someday (other than providing people a place from which to go diving?)

By: Didi

Didi — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 18:28:14 +0000

I second Holly’s comments. Those are beautiful photos. But, I have to ask not being a Seattle native, who in their right mind would cancel an expressway and leave the ramps basically hanging on and then they are crazy enough to have a bridge with no shoulder? Sounds like a traffic nightmare especially if your car stops in the middle of the bridge and there is no where to go.

By: Ben Lukoff

Ben Lukoff — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 06:45:37 +0000

R.H. Thomson was an interesting fellow — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_H._Thomson — responsible for leveling Denny Hill and regrading Jackson Hill as well, he also started bringing in drinking water from the Cedar River…

By: Cliffe

Cliffe — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:24:39 +0000

This HistoryLink article has some information on the ramps to nowhere:

http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=690

“On the west side, the ramps were built in the Arboretum to connect SR 520 with a planned R. H. Thomson Expressway generally following Empire Way (now Martin Luther King Jr. Way) through the Central Area. After citizen protests, Seattle canceled the expressway in 1971, but the “ramps to nowhwere” still stand.”