About Quizzes

Lake Washington Floating Bridges

The Lake Washington Floating Bridges that span Lake Washington, in Seattle, are the Lacey V. Morrow Bridge, built in 1940; Governor Albert D. Rossellini Bridge (1963), and the Homer M. Hadley Floating Bridge (1989). The Morrow Bridge, designed by engineer Homer Hadley, floats on hollow concrete pontoons and was hailed at the time as innovative technology. The advent of the bridge triggered a gradual demise of the ferry service, which once thrived on the lake. In 1981, the bridge pontoons were replaced with straight pontoons by the Washington State Department of Highways. The Rossellini Bridge (popularly, the Evergreen Point Bridge) is the longest floating bridge in the world. The four-lane span carries traffic as part of Washington State Route 520, connecting Seattle and Medina. The Hadley Bridge was constructed as a parallel twin bridge to the Morrow Bridge, but during a storm in November 1990, it sank. The bridge was rebuilt later. The Morrow and Hadley Floating Bridges carry Interstate 90 commuters between Seattle and Bellevue. The three bridges on Lake Washington provide a windbreak for ideal rowing in nearly all conditions.