The 520 bridge pedestrian and bike trail opens December 20

Trying to get across the State Route 520 bridge, but aren’t in a motor vehicle? Starting at 3 p.m. Wednesday, December 20, a 2.7-mile pedestrian and bike path on the new Evergreen Point Floating Bridge will connect Seattle and the Eastside.

One end of the trail starts in Montlake by Montlake Park, near the Arboretum. The other end exits the lake in Medina, although the 520 trail continues all the way to Kirkland.

In addition to making some commutes a little easier, it also provides some variations in the Lake Washington Loop trail, which, appropriately, covers the 60-mile circumference of the lake. That trail will connect directly on the Seattle side of the bridge; doing just the top half of the loop, including 520 as the southern border, cuts the trail down to 27 miles.

The new bridge opened to traffic in April of last year, although work on the bridge wasn’t completed until this August.

At 7,708 feet, the new 520 bridge is the longest floating stretch of highway in the world.

Work isn’t done on this corridor yet; the next phase involves a freeway lid and interchange around Montlake. At this point, the last of Seattle’s Ramps to Nowhere are slated to come down, too.

• Start planning your route: SR 520 bicycle and pedestrian trail to open across Lake Washington Dec. 20 [WSDOT]