Discover the World’s Longest Floating Bridge

Did you know that the world's longest floating bridge is in Seattle, WA? That's right, at 7,710 feet, the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge is the longest in the world. It takes drivers across Lake Washington, from Seattle to the eastern suburbs of Bellevue, Redmond, and Kirkland.

The present-day version of the bridge was built to replace the previous bridge which stood from 1963 to 2016. When it was first built, it was the longest floating bridge in the world until the new Evergreen Point Floating Bridge replaced it in 2016.

The original bridge spanned 7,578 feet. It operated as a toll bridge, the tolls working to pay for the cost of the bridge. It opened under the name Evergreen Point Floating Bridge but was renamed the Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge in 1988 after the Washington governor who was in office during its construction.

After 16 years, the toll system was retired in 1979 after it had generated $59.6 million in revenue. For many years, the Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge stood as the world's longest floating bridge. But once a few natural disasters passed through, and with some advice from the bridge's engineers, a project was put in place to design the new Evergreen Point Floating Bridge.

In 1997, the lead engineer, Myint Lwin, noted that the Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge would only last another 20 years at most. It was not fit to endure an earthquake because it was built before modern standards were set. The support structures were hollow and weaker than modern designs, so the city closed the bridge regularly during strong winds and heavy storms to keep drivers safe. The original bridge also had no emergency shoulders or pathways for walkers and bikers. In general, it was clear that the bridge needed a replacement, and it needed one quickly.

By 2011, the Washington State Department of Transportation broke ground on the new bridge. The existing bridge stayed open during the five years of construction. Once construction started on the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, tolls were reinstated on the old bridge. Because of the reinstation of tolls, traffic declined by 30 percent in the first year.

To collect the highest tolls during the busiest times of the day, the State Transportation Commission set different toll prices depending on the time. The peak times of day would have tolls of $4.30 both ways, and the other hours would range from $1.25 to $4. To avoid stopping traffic on the bridge, the tolls were charged directly to drivers' "Good to Go" passes. The "Good to Go" passes are wireless transmitters that automatically scan as drivers pass by readers. For those that don't have the pass, the state will charge their license plates.

The bridge was built and positioned on 21 floating pontoons, each that are 360 feet by 75 feet. The project experienced some difficulties, specifically in relation to construction errors and bad practices. Many reports sprung up about the bridge, from errors in rebar size to a lack of rebar installation in some areas. The concrete pontoons were cracking, as noted in a WSDOT document called the Risk Register. The issues were caused by Kiewet Construction, the contractor that WSDOT hired to build the new bridge, according to seattlepi.com.

Despite the clear issues, the bridge eventually passed inspections and opened in April 2016. At this time, the old bridge was closed to traffic and demolished by the end of the year. When the new Evergreen Point Floating Bridge opened, it surpassed the old floating bridge by 130 feet. The new bridge stands as the longest floating bridge in the world at 7,710 feet long.

Since the bridge's opening in 2016, there have been no major issues or disasters. However, one of the bridge's former inspectors, who chose to remain anonymous, claimed he "won't drive across that bridge when they have it built", noting "it's a disaster waiting to happen".

While some controversy surrounds the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, you can rest easy knowing that it sees around 110,000 vehicles each day. After the shoddy construction issues with the pontoons, the state spent a little over $208 million to repair them in 2014. This issue pushed back the bridge's opening to 2016, but it made driving on it much safer.