Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against SR 520 project
Just two weeks after the case was argued in court, a federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to overturn the Washington State Department of Transportation’s environmental analysis of a new State Route 520 bridge.
U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo S. Martinez issued the ruling on Wednesday, rejecting an effort by a group to force further analysis of alternative designs for improvements to the SR 520 corridor from Seattle to Medina. Opponents criticized WSDOT for not further considering a four-lane bridge design.
“Our analysis was thorough and exhaustive, and we hope that the ruling by Judge Martinez puts an end to the debate about mobility improvements to this vital corridor,” said state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. With the court’s decision, WSDOT can continue with construction of SR 520 improvements as planned and funded.
Planning and environmental analysis began in 1997 to improve safety and mobility in the SR 520 corridor from Seattle to Redmond and was completed in 2011.
Construction of components for a replacement floating bridge on Lake Washington is under way in Kenmore, Tacoma and Aberdeen.
Three of the six completed pontoons in Aberdeen are the largest under construction for the new bridge and measure 360 feet long, 75 feet wide and 29 feet tall and weigh some 11,000 tons. All six are ready to float out on July 30 from Aberdeen.
