From art to infrastructure, the New Deal shaped Seattle’s future (Redmond: apartment, earthquake)

[homesinseattle]

Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan takes inspiration from the massive public works effort that helped shape the Emerald City, and America, for generations. Article link here: https://crosscut.com/culture/2021/04...eattles-future

"Every day is infrastructure week at our place. In front of our apartment they’re building the new State Route 520 bridge. That’s right, it’s not done yet. Enormous cranes, pile drivers, the removal of massive slabs of concrete, work boats, vehicles that clank like tanks in the night, workers in hard hats shouting to one another. They are working 24/6, with Sundays off. There is no real limit on the amount of noise they can make, day or night.

As I watch, I remember the opening of the old Evergreen Point Bridge in 1963, the last remnants of which are being hauled away now. We called it “the new bridge” for years. It’s an odd feeling to outlast “modern infrastructure,” something you remember being built. I felt the same about the Kingdome, the massive but ultimately ephemeral sports stadium located in the industrial district. It opened in 1976 and was torn down in 2000, before its bonds were paid off.

The old 520 bridge was outdated for seismic reasons. The new "new" bridge is more robust, and caters to changing needs. There’s room now for bikes, pedestrians and, someday perhaps, even light rail. If earthquake faults played a role in the new design, so too do the work habits of a changing region. Companies such as Microsoft wanted more capacity for cars and transit. Workers used to commute from the Eastside to Seattle for work, but back in the 1990s, the tide changed, with many tech workers living in the city and commuting to Redmond. The bridge was expanded to serve a growing "edge city."