Pacific Northwest - My rant about the I90 bridge bike lane (Seattle)

1. It's noisy. I want to hear the gentle lap of waves when I cross the bridge; instead I hear the roar of traffic.

2. The pavement on the bike lane is rough and wavy. It's not damaged; it seems to have been laid down badly. Was there an earthquake or something the day they laid the concrete?

3. At night, the lights on the bike lane make things worse. There isn't enough light to really be useful, but just enough to interrupt the beam of my bike lights.

4. There is always a headwind, no matter which way you are headed. Headed East, it's blowing from the East. Headed West, it's blowing from the West.

5. They keep changing the angle of the bridge. In the morning, when I take it to the West, there is a very short descent on the East side, and then a l-o-n-g steep climb up to the Mt. Baker tunnel. But by the evening, they have changed everything. There is a very short descent from the tunnel down to the lake surface, and then a l-o-n-g steep climb up to Mercer Island. This happens every day; I don't know how they do it.

6. When it's raining, I get the sensation that there is rain coming down from above; rain coming sideways from the cars, and even colder raining coming *up* from the lake.

7, It's there, so we have to use it. Folks along the 520 don't have a bike lane, so those of us who live along the I90 are *forced* to get out on our bikes and ride it to make a point. Which point, I don't know.



That's all.

EDIT: This thread was started in January 2008. In January 2009 I found a suitable photo of this crossing on a typical winter day:


http://i41.tinypic.com/t7cxl3.jpg

It was designed by the same folks who built the roads of my youth--4 miles uphill from home to school and 4 miles uphill from school to home.

Buy one of these http://www.castlecraft.com/seacycle.htm and knock yourself out.

1. Tailwinds are a myth.
2. All hills are uphill both ways.

I looked at the bridge on a Google Maps application. Was that you going east, near the middle of the bridge, in a light colored outfit? The whole set up looks like the one on the Golden Gate Bridge. Do you get as many suicides as we do?

I looked at the bridge on a Google Maps application. Was that you going east, near the middle of the bridge, in a light colored outfit? The whole set up looks like the one on the Golden Gate Bridge. Do you get as many suicides as we do?

No, you can't throw yourself off the I-90 bridge very easily--most of it is on the surface of the water.

BengeBoy, I sure do agree about the noise factor. I swear that it would be possible to have nobody on the bridge and still not be able to hear the water :mad: . It's disturbing to be in that nice marshy bit on the Bellevue side and hear cars instead of ducks and whatnot.

On the other hand, at least I-90 HAS a bike lane, unlike the 520 bridge :mad::mad: .

East Hill

This is true. If it weren't for the I-90 bike lane, you'd have to go around the lake to either the north or the south. A nice long pleasant ride for a Saturday in the summer, but not so much for a commute in the winter.

On the other hand, at least I-90 HAS a bike lane, unlike the 520 bridge [East Hill

Yes, I know. Really, the I-90 bike lane is an essential part of the East-West biking corridor. The first time I rode it I thought it was amazing.

But I still wonder -- why is the pavement so rough? It's not rough because it's been damaged; it's like it was laid down in lumps.

Boo Hoo, alot of us have to ride on the shoulders of bike lanes that were designed by incompetent boobs that dont go anywhere and/or are covered with pot holes, large puddles, glass and gravel all the while dodging idiots pulling out of 7/11 half drunk who dont look where they are going. Get over yourself, I take that bridge twice a week and LOVE it. You are probably riding a road bike that was designed for smooth country roads and cant understand why roads and trails are rough in the city. I mean come on ' you cant hear the lap of wave' , ' the lights are to bright or to dim' , what are you from issaquah or somthing.
I know this sounds rough but geez, thats a great biking lane.

It's a bit windy but it's the only way across the lake. There was talk awhle back about giving the extra lane to cagers :eek:

It's a bit windy but it's the only way across the lake. There was talk awhle back about giving the extra lane to cagers :eek:

I think the proprosal was to narrow the lanes on the MI-Seattle floating bridge to the same width as the MI-Bellevue East Channel bridge to allow another lane to be added for traffic. During construction, the bike lane was to be closed and a van service would be provided to shuttle bikers across.

I haven't heard whether this proposal is dead or alive, but I think it got held up because it wouldn't qualify for federal matching funds unless the bike lanes were to safety spec and the East Channel bridge lane is too narrow (8' rather than 10', as I recall).

In all seriousness, the I90 trail is a marvel and we're lucky to have it. I just wish they'd get something built N-S through Bellevue and Kirkland which still doesn't have a decent bicycle corridor, even on-street. We may get the "Dinner Train" rail corridor eventually. This would connect the I90 trail to the Woodinville and hook up to the Marymoor trail. That would be a wonderful thing, although to be honest, this seems like an extravagent use of a precious right-of-way to a relatively small number of users - light rail would really serve a much bigger audience. Maybe both could be served.

- Mark

You forgot to mention the occasion 25+ mile an hour wind out of the south that kicks up the road grit to give you an unpleasant blast.

On the other hand, hang in there - soon there will be daylight and you can see a beautiful view of Mount Rainier. Now that my commute has shifted away from Seattle, I miss riding the I-90 bridge and parts of Mercer Island with a beautiful view of the lake.

Boo Hoo, alot of us have to ride on the shoulders of bike lanes that were designed by incompetent boobs that dont go anywhere and/or are covered with pot holes, large puddles, glass and gravel all the while dodging idiots pulling out of 7/11 half drunk who dont look where they are going. Get over yourself, I take that bridge twice a week and LOVE it. You are probably riding a road bike that was designed for smooth country roads and cant understand why roads and trails are rough in the city. I mean come on ' you cant hear the lap of wave' , ' the lights are to bright or to dim' , what are you from issaquah or somthing.
I know this sounds rough but geez, thats a great biking lane.

Sorry to give you that impression -- maybe if you re-read the post you'd see I was (mostly) kidding.

As I said in my second post, it is an essential part of the East-West biking corridor. The *only* serious thing I (still) wonder about is the pavement quality. It *is* rough for undamaged concrete. It makes me think about how we build "bike lanes" in our country but then don't properly engineer them or maintain them -- two examples (1) the horrible root heaves all over the Burke-Gilman trail and (2) this concrete on the I-90 bridge. They just weren't thinking.

In all seriousness (well, mostly seriousness) I wrote the post because when I first started biking in this area I was blown away by the bike lane on the I90 bridge. I thought it was great that the Eastside was connected to Seattle -- making the whole area much more transit-able by bike (is transit-able a word?). But lately, I've noticed that it's a *bit* of a pain, and a part of my rides I don't necessarily look forward to. I think I have this *ideal* about being able to cruise over a beautiful spot like that in a very relaxed way, but actually when you're crossing the I90 bridge it's just a little hard to relax -- you can't go to "sleep" like on some bike lanes I've been on; you do gotta focus.

And so I began to think about the difficulty of providing services to bikers -- first we (well, me) complain about lack of accommodations for bikes. Then, we get them, and we complain. What if you were the bureaucrat who was assigned to build the bike lane and the contractor produced the sub-standard concrete surface that we got...what do you do? What if you were in charge of the parks budget for the city of Seattle -- how much could you afford to resurface/maintain the surface of the Burke Gilman trail, when you have so many priorities to provide for? The challenge of providing bike-friendly accommodations goes beyond just providing the lane; it has to be done and maintained properly. and public officials have lots of other needs to meet.

So - I am (sort of) criticizing myself. We get this great bike lane, and then, I complain?

BTW, I ride all 3 bikes in my sig line across the bridge regularly; my daily commuter is the Trek (a very rugged touring bike), which has 32c tires. I used to commute on a road bike but as you point out the tires on a road bike aren't really suited for rough pavement. The roughest pavement on my commute is in downtown Seattle -- which is still 10x times smoother than some of the other (bad) places I've biked (Mexico City, where I lived for 3 years, for starters).

Boo Hoo, alot of us have to ride on the shoulders of bike lanes that were designed by incompetent boobs that dont go anywhere and/or are covered with pot holes, large puddles, glass and gravel all the while dodging idiots pulling out of 7/11 half drunk who dont look where they are going. Get over yourself, I take that bridge twice a week and LOVE it. You are probably riding a road bike that was designed for smooth country roads and cant understand why roads and trails are rough in the city. I mean come on ' you cant hear the lap of wave' , ' the lights are to bright or to dim' , what are you from issaquah or somthing.
I know this sounds rough but geez, thats a great biking lane.


BB was just joking for the most part!

I would love to get out on the bridge when there's no car traffic, just to see if there's still noise. I swear there would be ghostly automobiles rumbling by...

I often wonder about the planning around here. Like that nice new road that goes East/West from the Kent Valley up to I-5. No bike lane!!!!! How many East/West corridors do we have, for crying out loud? And yet, it's a perfect connection to the Interurban/GRT. Guys, what WERE you thinking? Oh yeah, it would have cost a few more bucks :mad: :mad: .

East Hill

There is another Interurban trail that runs parallel to Interstate 5 between Lynnwood and Everett, sometimes on surface streets and sometimes just off the freeway. I've only biked it once, because of the noise and pollution - every time a truck went by (which was frequent) you could taste the diesel. Makes me wonder about the Eastside Rails-to-trails deal. I agree that the county should buy the corridor, but question ripping out the rails and converting it to a bike trail if it is going to be another fume-fest.

OK, I appreciate the I-90 bridge bike lane and I'm from Issaquah too ;)

Maybe I'm weird, but I think it's fun! At night, the views of the lights all around are really striking. And when the thing is clear of pedestrians (as it often is), it's one of only two stretches of road between Issaquah and Seattle where you can mash along at full speed for 3 miles without any interruptions. Try it under a full moon sometime on a summer night. Yeah, it's noisy and a bit rough, but sure beats having to ride all the way around the lake as people did before it was available.

I remember when Issaquah was still an undeveloped little town

Sorry, I didnt read the sarcasm in your message, guess I had had alot of traffic to fight that day and wasnt paying close enough attention. Cheers. By the way, I always thought the rough concrete was intentional to prevent slipping during freezing tempetures since the bridge has no ground insulation.

The other contributing factor to the rough bike lane is all the expansion joints in the bridge. Remember, that thing has to flex to accommodate wind and wave action, as well as thermal expansion. One engineer described the I-90 and 520 floating bridges as "basically a bunch of boats strung together".

Long floating bridges like these are actually pretty rare and work well in certain environments. We've only lost two in this state so far. :p

The whole set up looks like the one on the Golden Gate Bridge. Do you get as many suicides as we do?

From a satellite, the I-90 bridge may look like the Golden Gate bridge, but they are nothing alike (excepct that they cross water.) The I-90 bridge (also known as the Mercer Island Floating Bridge) is a FLOATING bridge and, except for the approaches, is at water level. I have never heard of a suicide on the Mercer Island Floating Bridge, though it does happen on the Aurora Bridge.

guess I had had alot of traffic to fight that day and wasnt paying close enough attention. Cheers. By the way, I always thought the rough concrete was intentional to prevent slipping during freezing temperatures since the bridge has no ground insulation.

No problem.

Anyway, back to my obsession with the concrete on the lane (I really am picky, aren't I).

It's not the expansion joints. They're not too bad. And it's not the "roughness"...there is just enough scruffiness on the concrete to prevent slipping.

What I'm sort of mystified about is the sort of bumpy/lumpy/wavy feeling of the concrete...if you're moving along at a pretty good clip it feels to me like the concrete has waves in it; almost like a junior version of the root heaves that we see on the Burke-Gilman trail. Again, the concrete isn't damaged...just lumpy.

I've found that when you are headed West on the bridge, if you ride w/your elbow almost on the northern guard rail, you can find much smoother concrete. I haven't tried that driving toward the East because it always seems there is a lot of road debris/trash along the southern edge of the lane and thus I don't want to ride over there.

More importantly, I probably need to find something else to complain about....

No problem.

Anyway, back to my obsession with the concrete on the lane (I really am picky, aren't I).

It's not the expansion joints. They're not too bad. And it's not the "roughness"...there is just enough scruffiness on the concrete to prevent slipping.

What I'm sort of mystified about is the sort of bumpy/lumpy/wavy feeling of the concrete...if you're moving along at a pretty good clip it feels to me like the concrete has waves in it; almost like a junior version of the root heaves that we see on the Burke-Gilman trail. Again, the concrete isn't damaged...just lumpy.

I've found that when you are headed West on the bridge, if you ride w/your elbow almost on the northern guard rail, you can find much smoother concrete. I haven't tried that driving toward the East because it always seems there is a lot of road debris/trash along the southern edge of the lane and thus I don't want to ride over there.

More importantly, I probably need to find something else to complain about....

How about the fact that it's started snowing again here on the East Hill? Oh, I know, when I ride on the Lake Washington trail from Bellevue to Renton, I want those miserable bottlenecks removed. You all know which ones I'm talking about. And why is it that as soon as the trail reaches the Renton city border, the asphalt is wonderfully smooth without root heaves?

:D

East Hill

No problem.

Anyway, back to my obsession with the concrete on the lane (I really am picky, aren't I).

It's not the expansion joints. They're not too bad. And it's not the "roughness"...there is just enough scruffiness on the concrete to prevent slipping.

What I'm sort of mystified about is the sort of bumpy/lumpy/wavy feeling of the concrete...if you're moving along at a pretty good clip it feels to me like the concrete has waves in it; almost like a junior version of the root heaves that we see on the Burke-Gilman trail. Again, the concrete isn't damaged...just lumpy.

I've found that when you are headed West on the bridge, if you ride w/your elbow almost on the northern guard rail, you can find much smoother concrete. I haven't tried that driving toward the East because it always seems there is a lot of road debris/trash along the southern edge of the lane and thus I don't want to ride over there.

More importantly, I probably need to find something else to complain about....

what kinda tire-pressure are you running? maybe let out a few PSI and see how it feels.. =]

And why is it that as soon as the trail reaches the Renton city border, the asphalt is wonderfully smooth without root heaves?l

I'd guess because in Renton the "trail" is part of the street and doesn't have trees growing 3' away from the pavement edge.

- Mark

I'd guess because in Renton the "trail" is part of the street and doesn't have trees growing 3' away from the pavement edge.

- Mark

hehe, that's partially true, but I'm talking about the part that runs parallel to 405 that was repaved maybe a couple of years ago.

East Hill

what kinda tire-pressure are you running? maybe let out a few PSI and see how it feels.. =]

Clearly, I lack all credibility here!

Meanwhile, back on the bridge, this happened yesterday...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004159825_stabbing02e.html

I just dont know what to say about that.... I didnt think things like that happened in seattle.

Clearly, I lack all credibility here!

Meanwhile, back on the bridge, this happened yesterday...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004159825_stabbing02e.html

Wow! Did any BF members witness that? How bizarre.

East Hill

^Bizarre.

My commute takes me over the Ballard Bridge. Wow does it suck. The 90 bridge path is no prize, but it's at least smooth and significantly wider than handlebars.

^Bizarre.

My commute takes me over the Ballard Bridge. Wow does it suck. The 90 bridge path is no prize, but it's at least smooth and significantly wider than handlebars.

I can't even imagine commuting over the Ballard Bridge :eek: . I don't even want to think about commuting over the Ballard Bridge. ugh.

East Hill

From a satellite, the I-90 bridge may look like the Golden Gate bridge, but they are nothing alike (excepct that they cross water.) The I-90 bridge (also known as the Mercer Island Floating Bridge) is a FLOATING bridge and, except for the approaches, is at water level. I have never heard of a suicide on the Mercer Island Floating Bridge, though it does happen on the Aurora Bridge.

Unfortunatley, I think it may of happened tonight. apperently someone pulled of to the side and jumped off. I didnt hear if they pulled him out or not. bummer

I can't even imagine commuting over the Ballard Bridge :eek: . I don't even want to think about commuting over the Ballard Bridge. ugh.

East Hill

I am with you I rode across the Ballard Bridge once, never again! Of course it helps that I never really need to go to Ballard anyway. Rode across the Aurora Bridge once also I'll take the Fremont Bridge any day.

+1 on the no-Ballard-Bridge.

When I lived in Magnolia, I instead took the long-way around, through the Locks. I miss that ride so much! There's a GBH rookery near the the bridge that's part of the bike trail over the train tracks, at the top of the hill across the street (south) of the Locks. Sometimes, there's a GBH balancing on the line that hangs across the locks, fishing. I also saw a kingfisher doing the same once. It's very peaceful in the winter, early spring and fall, and every morning is peaceful. The smell of the ocean is quite the attitude-changer, as well.

A great way to avoid the Ballard Bridge!

I would take the locks option more if you didn't have to walk your bike through the entire park or face a ticket. Those narrow gangplanks can be annoying when packed with clueless tourists, but it is definitely pretty. I plan to do some post-work training in Discovery Park when the weather improves so I'll probably use the locks option on the way home then.

I take the Terminal 91 Bike path to avoid dealing with the sketchy southbound exit from the Ballard Bridge and riding on 15th Elliott, but the bridge sidewalk is bad news and getting worse. I am very glad I run 700x32 tires on my commuter. Riding over this bridge 10 + times a week is going to turn me into an activist.

I would take the locks option more if you didn't have to walk your bike through the entire park or face a ticket. Those narrow gangplanks can be annoying when packed with clueless tourists, but it is definitely pretty. I plan to do some post-work training in Discovery Park when the weather improves so I'll probably use the locks option on the way home then.

I take the Terminal 91 Bike path to avoid dealing with the sketchy southbound exit from the Ballard Bridge and riding on 15th Elliott, but the bridge sidewalk is bad news and getting worse. I am very glad I run 700x32 tires on my commuter. Riding over this bridge 10 + times a week is going to turn me into an activist.

I never thought about using the locks! I would probably spend too much time looking at the fish and the birds though :p .

I never rode over the BB, but I walked it quite often, and even then--pre-1987--it was a nasty piece of work.

East Hill

I would take the locks option more if you didn't have to walk your bike through the entire park or face a ticket. Those narrow gangplanks can be annoying when packed with clueless tourists, but it is definitely pretty. I plan to do some post-work training in Discovery Park when the weather improves so I'll probably use the locks option on the way home then.

I take the Terminal 91 Bike path to avoid dealing with the sketchy southbound exit from the Ballard Bridge and riding on 15th Elliott, but the bridge sidewalk is bad news and getting worse. I am very glad I run 700x32 tires on my commuter. Riding over this bridge 10 + times a week is going to turn me into an activist.

Yeah, walking can be a pain. But, the bright side is, the tourists are there mostly July Aug and part of Sept. You have the other 9-9.5 months of the locks to yourself.

And, you can see a GBH almost every morning, if you slow down to look for them, that is.

I never thought about using the locks! I would probably spend too much time looking at the fish and the birds though :p .

I never rode over the BB, but I walked it quite often, and even then--pre-1987--it was a nasty piece of work.

East Hill

Oh, yes, and the fish! First come the little fry, baby fish. They are so cute, so small, making cute little splashes. They make mesmile, and sometimes I laugh at them, out loud. (oops). Then, come their big cousins, back to spawn. Between the jumpingfish and the GBH on the tight-wire, you can't help but smile. And, even if you don't see any (this time of year esp), it's kinda amazing that such a huge piece of concrete can be lovely...just imagine what it could be w/o the locks! Wow!

edit: I think this spring/summer, I'm going to have to take a detour through the locks and take the Magnolia trail (or whatever the official name is) to downtown. Problem with this is, I'd have to work myself through downtown traffic to get to work. Right now, my traffic interaction is minimal, which I also treasure.

Yeah, walking can be a pain. But, the bright side is, the tourists are there mostly July Aug and part of Sept. You have the other 9-9.5 months of the locks to yourself.

And, you can see a GBH almost every morning, if you slow down to look for them, that is.

I'll bet you can spot peregrines too, if you look :) .

East Hill

A very good friend has a condo on the south side of the locks; she's got a view of that tightwire I speak of. She loves the birding there. I'll have to ask her about the peregrines.

A very good friend has a condo on the south side of the locks; she's got a view of that tightwire I speak of. She loves the birding there. I'll have to ask her about the peregrines.

Should be able to spot Belted Kingfishers as well. They have a distinctive 'rattle', and are sometimes easier to hear than to see!

East Hill

Someone refresh my memory. Didn't the original I90 bridge sink just as they were opening up the new one? Wasn't there something about a bulge toward the eastern side, where they could open it up. I believe that when they tried to remove the bulge the wind shifted and took the rest of the bridge with it?

I haven't lived there since 1987, and I used to ride the bridge on weekends every now and then, as part of a shortened lake loop. This was before and while they widened the crossing on Mercer Island. I remember feeling like I was the only one that ever used it as I never saw anyone else on a bike. And even then Seattle was known as a cyclist's town.

Someone refresh my memory. Didn't the original I90 bridge sink just as they were opening up the new one? Wasn't there something about a bulge toward the eastern side, where they could open it up. I believe that when they tried to remove the bulge the wind shifted and took the rest of the bridge with it?

Nothing to do with the bulge. During the construction of the new I-90 floating bridge, there were refurbishing the old bridge to be used as one of the spans and someone's bright idea was to store the sand-blasting waste water in the pontoons. For this operation they had all the inspection covers removed. One of our Nov storms came along and one of the lower-riding eastern pontoons starting taking on water through the inspection covers. As it sank, the other sections were dragged down, domino style. What made it worse was that as the old bridge sank, it sheared most of the cables anchoring the new bridge, so there was about a month period in which they were using tugboats to keep the new bridge aligned during winds. If we had had a big storm during that period, we would have lost the new bridge too.

Eventually all three spans (one each direction and a center reversable-direction commuter span) were built using new pontoons. I believe the old bridge is still lying in the bottom of the lake.

I think the current risk assessment is that the aging 520 span (built a few miles N of the I-90 across the same lake) is running a few percent risk of sinking every season. It will get replaced eventually, but if the cards break the wrong way, it will sink before they can raise the money. I know it would cost more, but I've always been in favor or spending the extra to build a suspension bridge that would not have the issues of the floating bridges and be a spectacular sight crossing the lake.

- Mark

I believe the old bridge is still lying in the bottom of the lake.

That's what I have read.

Also, there is supposed to be a coal train on the bottom of the lake as well (was being brought over by ferry many years ago and the ferry sank). And some airplanes.

"I believe the old bridge is still lying in the bottom of the lake".

Yep, still there. Lesson: Never insure a bridge in Washington! A list of fallen "heroes":

-Tacoma Narrows bridge (1940, wind-induced resonance caused it to self-destruct)
-Vanport flood (late 40s or early 50s, took out a large bridge but don't remember which)
-Hood Canal bridge (1979, windstorm coupled with super low tides)
-12 bridges (1980, courtesy of lahars from Mt. St. Helens, all in a few hours)
-Old I-90 floating bridge (1990, as described above)

Old Mt. St. Nasty almost took out the I-5 bridge too on 5/18/80 but it held, even though its approaches were overrun with mud and logs were battering the girders under the bridge deck.

What I'm sort of mystified about is the sort of bumpy/lumpy/wavy feeling of the concrete...if you're moving along at a pretty good clip it feels to me like the concrete has waves in it; almost like a junior version of the root heaves that we see on the Burke-Gilman trail. Again, the concrete isn't damaged...just lumpy.

I have just started commuting to work and have ridden across this bridge a few times now...AND I HATE IT. I really want to blast down the approaches to the bridge but the pavement condition or something else about the bridge really affects the handling of my bicycle; so I ride my brakes and hope that I can stay upright. The pavement, cross winds, wind from traffic, movement of the bridge (?), makes it so that my bike doesn't want to track a straight line. This doesn't happen anwhere else - just on this bridge.

I think the current risk assessment is that the aging 520 span (built a few miles N of the I-90 across the same lake) is running a few percent risk of sinking every season. It will get replaced eventually, but if the cards break the wrong way, it will sink before they can raise the money. I know it would cost more, but I've always been in favor or spending the extra to build a suspension bridge that would not have the issues of the floating bridges and be a spectacular sight crossing the lake.

- Mark

Maybe this time they'll put a bike lane on it if/when they rebuild.

Maybe this time they'll put a bike lane on it if/when they rebuild.

Yes, it's part of the initial designs and required to get federal funding. People complain about it driving up costs but unless something really bizarre happens, we'll get a lane on new bridge.

Which will be wonderful. If Bellevue would get their act together and do some decent lanes N-S through the downtown/waterfront area, you'd have a great loop with the two bridges.

- Mark

Interesting observations... I cross the bridge all the time. My apt is in Bellevue near downtown.


1. It's noisy.

Yes, that it is. There's an 8 lane Interstate about 3 feet from the bike lane. ;)


2. The pavement on the bike lane is rough and wavy.
That's weird. I've never noticed that. Trail is no worse than other trails in the area, and it might actually be in a tad better condition than a typical trail.


3. At night, the lights on the bike lane make things worse.
Haven't noticed. I'm glad the lights are there. They are brighter and more useful than any light I might have on my bike.


4. There is always a headwind, no matter which way you are headed.
Laugh! It seems that way sometimes, but no. There's wind all right, because you are basically 10 feet off the surface of a major body of water and there's no shelter from the wind. I assure you the wind isn't changing directions.


5. They keep changing the angle of the bridge.
HTFU! (Hey, I've never used that before!) Both climbs are minor hills that you should be able to climb in less than 5 minutes. I look forward to them.


6. When it's raining
See 4. It is the same rain you get everywhere else. There are no buildings around to shelter you.


7, It's there, so we have to use it. Folks along the 520 don't have a bike lane, so those of us who live along the I90 are *forced* to get out on our bikes and ride it to make a point. Which point, I don't know.
You can always try riding 550 bus from/to Mercer Island and Rainier station, and skip the bridge. They have bike racks.

I'd like to register a new complaint about the I90 bridge.

I was crossing it at 7 a.m. this morning, from East to West, and as I glanced down just along the Mercer Island shoreline I saw a naked guy who was just changing out of his swim trunks and getting back into his car. I won't go into more detail, other than to say it wasn't like he was wrapping himself in a towel or standing behind his car door. Just calmly changing in the parking lot after a morning swim.

He seemed to be oblivious to the fact that he was in full view of any bikers passing above him (or perhaps he didn't care).

This, I did not need.

I don't blame him, I blame the bridge.

I'd like to register a new complaint about the I90 bridge.

I was crossing it at 7 a.m. this morning, from East to West, and as I glanced down just along the Mercer Island shoreline I saw a naked guy who was just changing out of his swim trunks and getting back into his car. I won't go into more detail, other than to say it wasn't like he was wrapping himself in a towel or standing behind his car door. Just calmly changing in the parking lot after a morning swim.

He seemed to be oblivious to the fact that he was in full view of any bikers passing above him (or perhaps he didn't care).

This, I did not need.

I don't blame him, I blame the bridge.

Could it have been FatA**? He lives on MI ....:roflmao: .

East Hill

OK, I have crossed the I90 bridge at least 250 times (probably more like 300) since my original rant.

Last night's complaint: multiple ninja joggers/walkers, strolling on the path around 6:30 p.m.
This morning's complaint: giant bag of dog food, lying in the middle of the path. I just know I am going to run into it on the way home tonight in the dark.

Still the least favorite part of my commute, and winter is coming....