Steve Peer of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) answers the most frequently asked questions about the new State Route 520 floating bridge in Seattle, Washington. The 520 bridge is the world’s longest floating bridge, and this article provides a detailed explanation of its technology.
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This article provides details on the cost overrun expected for the 520 Floating Bridge Design-Build Project in the state of Washington. While the fault lies with a design error on behalf of the Washington State Department of Transportation, this highlights the fact that despite its promises of making design the contractor’s responsibility (and thus putting the risk associated with it on them) that is not the case. The process creates confusion in the construction process whereas with traditional design-bid build it is always clear who the responsible party is and the state can better protect itself. State officials say they will need about $170 million more to complete the project, increasing the budget from $2.72 billion to $2.89 billion.
