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113-561: Lake Washington has been known to the Duwamish and other Indigenous peoples living on the lake for millennia as x̌ačuʔ (lit. "lake" in Lushootseed ). At the time of European settlement, it was recorded as At-sar-kal in a map sketched by engineer Abiel W. Tinkham ; and the Chinook Jargon name, Hyas Chuck ("great/large water"), was also used. Other English names historically used for

226-552: A Southern Coast Salish people. The Southern Coast Salish are a group of related peoples who share similar culture, history, and customs. Included in this classification are the many Lushootseed-speaking peoples and the Twana (who speak the Twana language ). The broader Coast Salish are a group of related peoples who have elements of shared history and culture and speak related languages. Prior to colonization, "Duwamish" ( dxʷdəwʔabš ) originally referred to just those from Elliot Bay and

339-460: A bridge". Unlike the older bridge, maintenance vehicles can now access the pontoons from beneath the upper roadway deck without interrupting traffic. According to a project engineer on the site, the deck had to be structurally isolated from the main support structure using a damping system to ensure seismic resistance up to a magnitude 9 earthquake to comply with local building codes. The original deck design called for three support columns but

452-541: A community fun run and walk on the bridge, and a bicycle ride hosted by the Cascade Bicycle Club on the bridge and the Interstate 5 express lanes the following day. As part of the opening ceremonies, the bridge was certified as the world's longest floating bridge by Guinness World Records , at 7,708.49 feet (2,349.55 m) long; the bridge took the record from the previous Evergreen Point Floating Bridge , which

565-562: A crane-lifted load of steel pipes swung out of control into a King County Metro bus and an overhead highway sign. The bridge deck was lifted into place in August 2015, and the final concrete pour was finished in October 2015, completing the bridge deck. The new bridge was dedicated on April 2, 2016, in a ceremony presided over by Governor of Washington Jay Inslee and attended by an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 people. The ceremony also included

678-437: A float switch that sits about 3 inches (7.6 cm) off the floor. If the pontoon is breached, an alarm will sound inside the maintenance building. From there, a pump can be lowered into the chamber and controlled from the deck above. The bridge deck is made of 776 precast concrete sections that are elevated 20 feet (6.1 m) above the concrete pontoons that forms the lower deck which essentially creates "a bridge on top of

791-518: A house, or gathering berries. The highest-status male of the highest-status family in a village was generally seen as the leader of the village for most purposes, and this position fluctuated often. Longhouse architecture continues to be used to this day in cultural settings. An example is the north face of the Burke Museum at the University of Washington . More recently, the design of the main hall of

904-670: A large trade network stretching across much of the Pacific Northwest, extending up into what is now British Columbia and over the Cascade Range . The Puget Sound was the primary waterway connecting the Lushootseed-speaking peoples with the rest of the world, allowing swift water travel across great distances. Duwamish society was divided into an upper class, lower class, and slave class. Each of these classes were largely hereditary, although social movement did happen. Nobility

1017-638: A light rail line with the construction of the bridge was dropped in 2008 after Sound Transit chose to prioritize the East Link Extension on the I-90 floating bridge . A first line on the SR ;520 corridor would also cause capacity issues on the section south of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Electronic tolling with the " Good to Go " system began on the old bridge in 2011; tolling on the new bridge

1130-638: A list of 361 Duwamish people, on and off-reservation, who were part of the "Duwamish Tribe of Indians" led by them, chief and sub-chief, respectively. In 1925, another group of Duwamish descendants organized as the Duwamish Tribal Organization . While the earlier 1915 organization was primarily composed of people who had lived in or descended from the Duwamish communities in the area, the Duwamish Tribal Organization's initial membership

1243-434: A major earthquake. Additionally, near the end of its lifetime, vibrations induced by storm surges and strong winds were able to compromise the aging drawspan, anchor cables, and pontoons, leading to structural failure in a major storm . Even if the storms were below the maximum threshold for failure to occur, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) would still close the floating bridge to traffic. Although

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1356-577: A plentiful source of food for the Duwamish. Duwamish contact with Europeans was sporadic until the 1850s. From the early 19th century, the maritime fur trade in the Puget Sound – Strait of Georgia regions greatly accelerated the pace of social and organizational change. American settlements at Alki Point ( sbaqʷabqs ) and what is now Pioneer Square in Downtown Seattle were established in 1851 and 1852. From this point on, Americans settled

1469-439: A primarily riverine people, built most of their villages along the dxʷdəw , today the Duwamish, Black, and Cedar Rivers. The x̌ačuʔabš , on the other hand, were primarily lake-oriented peoples and their villages were mostly located along Lake Washington and Lake Union. Although the village was the highest form of social cohesion, it was not centralized. There were no formal organs of government or authority which ruled over

1582-480: A replacement began in 1997 and was approved in 2011; the $ 4.65 billion budget was derived from state gas taxes and federal sources, as well as toll revenue. Construction of the 77 concrete pontoons began in 2011 and on-site assembly began in 2014. The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge carries six lanes of traffic—including two lanes for high-occupancy vehicles —and has a multi-use trail for cyclists and pedestrians on its north side. It also carries bus traffic and

1695-624: A reservation would do a great injustice" and be "of little value to the Indians." The petition was forwarded to the BIA and subsequently, the proposal was blocked later that year. In 1868 President Andrew Johnson was recommended to sign an executive order to designate all land between the Green and White rivers as part of the Muckleshoot reservation. However, the order was either misplaced or set aside, and no action

1808-499: A result of the pontoon issues, the estimated opening of the bridge was pushed back from December 2014 into 2016. Construction of the bridge deck, beginning with the eastern approach in Medina , began in March 2012. In March 2015, two construction accidents on the bridge slowed construction for reevaluation of safety measures: a contractor was killed after a high fall on the east highrise; and

1921-606: A steep sloping forehead. Today, Duwamish people are primarily enrolled in the federally recognized tribes, the Lummi Tribe of the Lummi Reservation , Muckleshoot Indian Tribe , Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation , Swinomish Indian Tribal Community , and Tulalip Tribes of Washington , and the unrecognized Duwamish Tribe . They are all located in western Washington. The Muckleshoot Tribe and

2034-478: A village. Although members of the Duwamish have been historically called "chiefs," the Duwamish (along with other Puget Sound peoples) did not have chiefs. Rather, that term was bestowed upon important individuals of local villages by members of the United States government and the general public. In reality, authority was entrusted to high-status individuals when called for, such as leading a war party, constructing

2147-590: Is a culturally significant space in traditional stories and served as a historical vantage point. In addition, the Renton History Museum in Renton, Washington, has a small exhibit on the archaeological and cultural history of the Duwamish. Like many other Coast Salish societies, traditional Duwamish society was dominated by the village. It was the basis of societal organization for the Puget Sound peoples and, in

2260-527: Is called dxʷdəw in Lushootseed, and means "inside the bay." The name references the way the Duwamish villages were located inland, rather than along Puget Sound. The name is composed of the prefix dxʷ- , meaning "toward, to," the suffix =abš , meaning "people," and the root word √dəw , a variant form of dəkʷ , meaning "inside something relatively small." dxʷdəwʔabš has also been spelled variantly as dxʷduʔabš . The Duwamish are

2373-591: Is designed for a future retrofit that would add light rail service. The original Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, also named for state governor Albert D. Rosellini , opened on August 28, 1963, carrying the four-lane State Route 520 (at the time designated temporarily as the Evergreen Point branch of Primary State Highway 1 until the 1964 state highway renumbering ). The 7,578-foot-long (2,310 m) floating span consisted of 33 pontoons and cost $ 24.7 million to construct (equivalent to $ 246 million in 2024);

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2486-612: Is long, narrow and finger-like. Ribbon lakes are excavated by glaciers. As the Puget lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet flowed south near the end of the Late Pleistocene , it met bands of harder and softer rock. Erosion of the softer rock was faster and a linear depression was created in the flow direction. When the glacier melted, the lake filled with the meltwater, which was retained by moraine deposits. A dam can also be created by

2599-440: The dxʷdəwʔabš , or Duwamish, and the x̌ačuʔabš , a group of peoples whose traditional territory extends around Lake Washington . Although the primary language used by the Duwamish today is English, the Duwamish historically spoke a subdialect of the southern dialect of Lushootseed , a Coast Salish language spoken throughout much of western Washington. For centuries the Duwamish were living in at least 17 villages around

2712-601: The Eastside area, bridge replacement was explored as early as 1969, when building a parallel span was explored and rejected. The Eastside is also served by the Interstate 90 floating bridges completed in 1940 and 1989, carrying traffic across Mercer Island to and from Bellevue. The original Evergreen Point Floating Bridge was designed before the implementation of modern earthquake engineering standards, with vulnerabilities in its hollow support structures that could have failed in

2825-588: The Last Glacial Maximum . Although it is possible that humans lived in the region before that time, the landscape was highly volcanic and unstable, leading to vast alteration of the coastline and rivers over time. Archaeological sites at the former village at West Point ( Lushootseed : paq̓ac̓aɬčuʔ ) date back at least 4,200 years. Villages at the mouth of the Duwamish River such as həʔapus and t̕uʔəlalʔtxʷ had been continuously inhabited since

2938-853: The Seattle Indian Health Board . Federally-recognized tribes such as the Muckleshoot and Suquamish as well as the Duwamish Tribe have worked closely with the city of Seattle to promote and develop and preserve local Native culture and history, both for the Duwamish, and non-Duwamish urban Indians. As of late 2022, Indigenous businesses have begun to open in Seattle, including ʔálʔal Cafe , which uses local ingredients and shares traditional Native American dishes from around North America. The Duwamish also work with nearby cities to preserve and protect their history. The Duwamish Hill Preserve in Tukwila

3051-635: The Suquamish Tribe and the great-great-grandniece of Chief Seattle. The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe is a federally-recognized tribe located in Auburn, Washington . They are descended from the Duwamish and several other related peoples whose territories were mostly located along the Duwamish River watershed. They are one of the largest tribes in Washington state with a population of over 3,000. Their reservation

3164-498: The 1963 bridge. Congestion on the old bridge was blamed on lack of shoulders, where disabled vehicles would cause severe backups. Ornamental elements include four sentinel towers rising 43 feet (13 m) above the bridge deck at the approaches, and belvederes on the north side. The bridge features advanced monitoring devices and new maintenance facilities. Beneath the bridge is a three-story high brick building used to control and monitor various life support and utility systems on

3277-476: The 20th- and 21st-century history of the Duwamish has been marked by a struggle for defending treaty rights and claims. In 1962, the Duwamish were awarded $ 62,000 for their land claims. In 1974, United States v. Washington (commonly known as the Boldt Decision), ruled that federally-recognized tribes in the state of Washington have rights to 50% of the fishing harvest, as guaranteed by the treaties. The ruling

3390-498: The 6th century CE. In the first half of the 19th century, the Duwamish began facing extreme raiding from the Lekwiltok and Kwakwaka'wakw , who raided much of the Puget Sound area for slaves and loot. Food resources varied, and resources were not always sufficient to last through to spring. There is evidence that an extensive trade and potlatch network evolved to help distribute resources to areas in need that varied year to year, and

3503-506: The American government's policy of consolidating many smaller peoples into large treaty tribes and Stevens' personal political motivations, prominent leaders were designated as chiefs for the purposes of the treaties. Signatories were appointed more or less at the behest of the Americans, bypassing what they saw as the maddening fluidity of tribal leadership. Four people represented the Duwamish on

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3616-589: The Americans, and Chief Seattle aiding the settlers in the siege. In August of 1856, the Fox Island Council was held to address the grievances held by people after the treaty. There, Isaac Stevens agreed to establish a reservation, the Muckleshoot reservation , for the Duwamish and other tribes living along the Duwamish watershed, including the White and Green rivers, in hopes that the remaining Duwamish would move to

3729-657: The Cedar supplying most of the water. Seasonal changes in the flow of the Sammamish are moderated by a weir at the Lake Sammamish inlet. The lake is drained by the Lake Washington Ship Canal . In addition, there are numerous small creeks and rivers which feed the lake, including: Historically, construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal drastically changed the inflow and outflow of the lake. Before construction of

3842-639: The Court of Claims and in Congress in 1934, however, in 1962, they were successful in submitting a claim to the Indian Claims Commission. They have sought and been denied federal recognition by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1996, 2015, and 2019. In 2001, they were briefly granted recognition by an executive order from President Bill Clinton as he left office. However, it was reversed less than two days later as

3955-659: The Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center closely echoes a traditional longhouse. For most of their history, the Duwamish were not a unified tribe. Instead, villages were completely autonomous, linked by shared language, culture, location, and family. While some villages held higher status and had a certain influence over others, there was no official authority of one village over another. Duwamish villages, due to their geographical and familial closeness, were historically tightly allied within their drainage. Duwamish villages also were closely allied with their neighbors, such as

4068-481: The Duwamish Tribe) was formed, where they drafted a constitution, wrote bylaws, and implemented structure for the organization. To this day, they are not recognized as a tribe by the U.S. federal government or the state of Washington. Until 1974, the Duwamish Tribe mostly pursued land claims agreements in court, entitled to treaty tribes by Congress. They first and unsuccessfully attempted to pursue claims against

4181-474: The Duwamish and Cedar Rivers to the Suquamish Reservation, with others moving to the Muckleshoot and Tulalip reservations, although some still stayed behind, refusing to move. Some of those who remained assimilated into white society. This period led to the modern split between the Duwamish descendants: the Muckleshoot, Suquamish, and eponymous Duwamish tribes. The remaining Duwamish were expelled from

4294-540: The Duwamish watershed to await a reservation of their own. This was due to several reasons. The Port Madison Reservation was not large enough to sustain the 1000+ individuals estimated to be assigned there, the reservation was too far from their usual and accustomed areas, and the mainland Duwamish were not on friendly terms with the Suquamish of the Port Madison area at the time. Later that year, due to dissatisfaction with

4407-552: The Duwamish, Black, and Cedar Rivers. However, beginning around 1855, the word "Duwamish" was used to also include the Green and White river peoples and the x̌ačuʔabš . The x̌ačuʔabš were composed of several related peoples whose villages were located along Lake Washington and the Sammamish River; the x̌aʔx̌ačuʔabš , whose villages were located around Lake Union , and the Shilshole ( šilšulabš ), whose village

4520-407: The Duwamish. Around that time, around 150 Duwamish had requested to speak to Isaac Stevens about the creation of a reservation, and he promised to them that "if he were properly informed about their situation" he would create a reservation for them. In 1864, the Port Madison reservation was enlarged by executive order at the request of Seattle and a delegation of other natives. Proposals were made by

4633-775: The Hachuamish, the Sammamish , the Snoqualmie , the Stkamish, the Puyallup , the Homamish, Suquamish , and many more. As marrying distant peoples to get unique access to far-away resources was ideal, some Duwamish intermarried and allied with peoples as far away as the Stillaguamish. Good marriages gave prestige and could result in the gain of material wealth. Intermarriage between villages created

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4746-483: The Muckleshoot, Suquamish, Tulalip and Puyallup tribes have voiced their opposition to federal recognition for the Duwamish Tribe, pointing out that many Duwamish people are enrolled in their tribes. The Duwamish tribe owns and operates several services and organizations. In 1979, the Duwamish Tribe established the Duwamish Tribal Services, a 501(c) nonprofit organization which provides social services to

4859-423: The Port Madison and Muckleshoot reservations, to a sing gamble ceremony in 1894. After his death in 1896, the off-reservation Duwamish community began to move to new white settlements. By 1910, all known independent Duwamish settlements had disappeared. This was greatly effected by Ordinance No. 5, which in 1865 banned Native Americans from living in the city unless housed and employed by a white settler, and also by

4972-731: The SR 520 Albert D. Rosellini Evergreen Point Floating Bridge) carries State Route 520 from Seattle's Montlake neighborhood to Medina while the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge and the Third Lake Washington Bridge (officially the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge) carry Interstate 90 from Seattle's Mount Baker neighborhood to Mercer Island . The East Channel Bridge carries Interstate 90 from Mercer Island to Bellevue . The Evergreen Point, Lacey V. Murrow, and Third Lake Washington bridges are

5085-477: The Seattle area and beyond. Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (2016) The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge , also known as the 520 Bridge and officially the Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge , carries Washington State Route 520 across Lake Washington from Seattle to its eastern suburbs . The 7,710-foot-long (2,350 m) floating span is the longest floating bridge in the world , as well as

5198-509: The Seattle area. In 1855, the Duwamish were among the signatories of the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott , in which they ceded their land to the United States government and in return would remove to reservation lands established by the treaty. Two reservations were created for the Duwamish: the Muckleshoot and Suquamish reservations. However, no reservation was ever created directly in the Duwamish homeland. Since then, although many Duwamish did move to

5311-543: The Suquamish Nation are the federally recognized successors-in-interest to the aboriginal Duwamish, and the Duwamish Tribe is seeking recognition as one of the successors to the aboriginal Duwamish as well. The Duwamish Tribe is an unrecognized tribe based in Seattle, Washington which has been seeking federal recognition as the Duwamish Indian Tribe. In 1925, the Duwamish Tribal Organization (commonly known as

5424-490: The US Superintendent of Indian Affairs in 1866 to create another reservation in the Duwamish homeland near what is now Renton and Tukwila, but American settlers wrote to Arthur Denny , the territorial delegate to congress, complaining about the proposal. Denny himself signed the complaint petition, as well as David Denny , Henry Yesler , David "Doc" Maynard , and virtually all of Seattle's establishment, saying that "such

5537-466: The bands of harder rock either side of the softer rock. There is usually a river at both ends of a ribbon lake, one being the inlet, and the other the outlet, but in the case of present-day Lake Washington, inlet rivers are at both ends, and a man-made outlet is in the middle. The lake was previously drained by the Black river to the south. The main inflowing rivers are the Sammamish and Cedar Rivers, with

5650-404: The bridge carried four lanes of traffic, separated by a curb that was later replaced with a simple Jersey barrier ; at the center was a drawspan that opened for large vessels traversing the lake. The original bridge would also close to traffic during sustained wind gusts of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) or higher for more than 15 minutes. Due to increased traffic generated by rapid growth of

5763-564: The bridge design. The bridge includes HOV lanes with priority for transit and the program as a whole built several transit-only facilities. A 2008 WSDOT report included five core bus rapid transit routes proposed by Sound Transit connecting the Eastside (Kirkland, Redmond, and Bellevue) to Downtown Seattle and the University District, with a base frequency of 15 minutes, increasing up to 7 minutes at peak times. The bus rapid transit program

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5876-634: The bridge's concept or design. Concrete floating bridges continue to remain a viable means for the conveyance of vehicle traffic over Lake Washington. In 1950, approximately one year after the tolls were removed from the Murrow bridge, the inland ferry system on the lake came to an end, having operated since the 1880s. The cities and towns bordering the lake, going clockwise from the west, are Seattle , Lake Forest Park , Kenmore , Kirkland , Yarrow Point , Hunts Point , Medina , Bellevue , Beaux Arts Village , and Renton . The city of Mercer Island occupies

5989-487: The bridge's planned HOV lanes. The bridge was engineered to accommodate a Link light rail extension with two options (both requiring 30 additional pontoons): one option would be 116 feet (35 m) wide with two lanes each direction, plus light rail to replace the HOV lanes; the other 150-foot-wide (46 m) option would retain the HOV lanes, two general purpose lanes in each direction, and add light rail. A proposal to include

6102-525: The bridge. A backup generator sits on the ground level to power all systems in case of power loss. Behind the back wall of the building lies a massive retaining wall built in response to steep hills. In 2023, the floating bridge carried an annual average of 57,913 vehicles per weekday. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic , the bridge carried a weekday average of 74,912 vehicles in 2018. Public transportation and high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) use were incorporated in

6215-510: The canal in 1916, Lake Washington's outlet was the Black River , which joined the Duwamish River and emptied into Elliott Bay . When the canal was opened the level of the lake dropped nearly nine feet (2.7 m). The canal became the lake's sole outlet, causing the Black River to dry up and disappear. Before construction, the Sammamish River was the primary source of water for Lake Washington, and

6328-508: The city rejected the plan, citing the possible release of toxins in the pontoon's concrete. The pontoons were sold to a recycling company based in Gig Harbor which plans to reuse the individual pontoons for floating decks and other projects. An unaffiliated contest was held in 2012 seeking ideas for the 33 pontoons of the old bridge, with solutions ranging from a "floating High Line " to partial submersion for walking paths. The first pontoon of

6441-454: The concrete. A state investigative report by concrete expert John Reilly blamed the WSDOT Bridge and Structures Office (BSO) for the error. The BSO did most of the pontoon design in-house, instead of delegating those details and the financial risk to contracting teams. The goal was to allow bids to be submitted sooner. The states top bridge engineer, Jugesh Kapur was ultimately let go over the error and another Department of Transportation employee

6554-414: The construction of a southbound onramp from the I-5 express lanes , the addition of light rail to the project, and an eight-lane bridge. The final environmental impact statement for the project was issued in 2011, allowing for construction of the pontoons to begin the following year. Funding was allocated to major phases of the project at different times. The $ 4.5 billion in funding comes largely from

6667-421: The desirable fish populations declined, and masses of dead algae accumulated on the shores of the lake. After significant pollution, the October 5, 1963 issue of the Post Intelligencer referred to the lake as "Lake Stinko". Citizen concern led to the creation of a system that diverted the treatment-plant effluents into nearby Puget Sound, where tidal flushing would mix them with open-ocean water. The diversion

6780-408: The emplacement of the pilings or towers necessary for the construction of a causeway or suspension bridge . The bridges consist of hollow concrete pontoons that float atop the lake, anchored with cables to each other and to weights on the lake bottom. The roadway is constructed atop these concrete pontoons. Three floating bridges cross Lake Washington: the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (officially

6893-404: The established reservations, lack of followthrough on promises, abuse of power, and murder of Indigenous people at the hands of settlers, the Puget Sound War began. The Stkelmish village of saʔcaqaɬ , south of modern-day Bellevue, was used as a staging ground by the in the 1856 Battle of Seattle . The Duwamish took part in the battle on both sides, with many of the Hachuamish fighting against

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7006-449: The first batch of completed pontoons, estimating that it would cost $ 400 million to repair cracks and other flaws that would bring down the bridge's predicted lifespan below the desired 75 years. The problems were originally speculated to stem from shortcuts allegedly taken by the contractor to complete pontoons to meet set deadlines; the proposed solutions to fix the pontoons included adding high-tension steel cables and post-tensioning of

7119-580: The floating span at transitional spans, which connect the deck to fixed bridges and approaches using hinges to move up to 24 inches (61 cm) for fluctuations in lake water levels moving the pontoons. All the pontoons are designed with watertight compartments that are monitored remotely with sensors to detect leaks that could lead to catastrophic failure. The bridge's 58 anchors all feature 3-inch-thick (7.6 cm), 1,000-foot-long (300 m) steel cables and are divided into three types: 45 587-short-ton (533 t) fluke anchors used in softer soils deep in

7232-435: The following month, with the exception of a single set of four columns preserved for a future park, to make way for a work platform. The new approach bridge opened for westbound traffic in August 2017, with later revisions to extend the HOV lane towards the Montlake interchange. The bridge's multi-use bike and pedestrian path partially opened in July 2016, with access to the completed sections for an "out-and-back" experience;

7345-422: The following month. The remainder of the SR 520 megaproject, which includes replacement of the Portage Bay bridge and Montlake Boulevard interchange, is scheduled to be completed in 2031. The new Evergreen Point Floating Bridge was designed to be more stable in stronger winds and raised the bridge deck much higher above the surface of the lake than the old bridge. Unlike the original floating bridge, where

7458-448: The incoming President George W. Bush cancelled the many executive orders Clinton signed in his final days citing "procedural errors." Most recently, in May of 2022, they once again sued the Department of the Interior for recognition. In 2022, the Duwamish Tribe sued for federal recognition in The Duwamish Tribe et al. v. Haaland et al. , which is still being heard in Washington Western District Court as of 2023. Representatives of

7571-515: The island of the same name, in the southern half of the lake. Around 1900, Seattle began discharging sewage into Lake Washington. During the 1940s and 1950s, eleven sewage treatment plants were sending state-of-the-art treated water into the lake at a rate of 20 million gallons per day. At the same time, phosphate-based detergents came into wide use. The lake responded to the massive input of nutrients by developing unpleasant blooms of noxious blue-green algae ( cyanobacteria ). The water lost its clarity,

7684-795: The lake include Lake Geneva by Isaac N. Ebey ; and Lake Duwamish in railroad surveys under Governor Isaac Stevens . Lake Washington received its present name in 1854 after Thomas Mercer suggested it be named after George Washington , as the new Washington Territory had been named the year before. The lake provides boating and sport fishing opportunities. Some fish species found in its waters include sockeye salmon , coho salmon , Chinook salmon , rainbow trout , largemouth bass , smallmouth bass , yellow perch , and black crappie . Lake Washington has two passenger seaplane bases : Kenmore Air Harbor on its north end; and Will Rogers – Wiley Post Memorial Seaplane Base on its south end, adjacent to Renton Municipal Airport . A ribbon lake , Lake Washington

7797-416: The lakebed; eight 107-short-ton (97 t) gravity anchors used in solid soils nearer to the shore; and five 10-foot-diameter (3.0 m), 79-to-92-foot-long (24 to 28 m) drilled shaft anchors used in conjunction with the gravity anchors to prevent navigation hazards. To ensure storm resistance in the event of water seeping into the pontoons, each pontoon is outfitted with a leak detection system with

7910-423: The leaders of the Black River settlements, and his signature was likely intended to serve as a signature for all the people in the core area of the Duwamish. Seattle's signature was intended to serve for all Suquamish and Duwamish as well. The Duwamish signed away the title to more than 54,000 acres, which today includes the cities of Seattle, Renton , Tukwila , Bellevue , and Mercer Island . Among other things,

8023-484: The longest, second longest, and fifth longest floating bridges in the world, respectively. Many questioned the wisdom of concrete floating bridge technology after the sinking of a portion of the Lacey V. Murrow bridge on November 25, 1990. However, a Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) investigation revealed that the incident resulted from the improper handling of hydrodemolition water being used during bridge renovations, rather than in any basic flaw in

8136-473: The lowering of the lake slightly increased its flow. As part of the ship canal project, the Cedar River was diverted into Lake Washington to become the lake's primary source. The Montlake Cut , part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal , connects the lake to Lake Union and ultimately Puget Sound . Concrete floating bridges are employed to span the lake because Lake Washington's depth and muddy bottom prevented

8249-499: The mid 1800s. One such settlement was located at the confluence of the Black and Cedar rivers. The settlement was led by William (also known as Stoda), the most powerful political leader of the Duwamish from the mid-1800s until his death. William led both the Duwamish at the confluence, and on the reservations, keeping their political integrity intact. William brought Duwamish from the still-existing Duwamish villages, as well as those living on

8362-468: The new floating bridge to the existing western approach was completed in September 2014. The north side of the new western approach, which would ultimately carry westbound traffic and the multi-use trail, began construction in October 2014. The project included removal of unused ramps over SR 520 that were built in the 1960s for the cancelled R.H. Thomson Expressway project; the ramps were demolished

8475-575: The old bridge to be disassembled was towed through the Lake Washington Ship Canal in July 2016. As of December 2020, several pontoons of the old bridge are anchored in the Pitt River in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia . Construction of the 1.2-mile (1.9 km) western approach to the floating bridge, a conventional viaduct that crosses Union Bay , was split into three projects. A temporary bridge to connect

8588-560: The opening of the bridge's westbound lanes, the Washington State Transportation Commission proposed increasing toll rates to introduce nighttime tolling by 2017. The toll rate increase and nighttime toll was approved by the commission and implemented on July 1, 2017. The old bridge was planned to be decommissioned by floating away pontoons to an industrial site in Kenmore for disposal and recycling; in March 2016,

8701-497: The organization's members. In addition, the Duwamish Tribe constructed the Chief Si?ahl Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center on purchased land along Marginal Way, across from Terminal 107 Park. It is built near the site of the former village həʔapus . In 1991, the Duwamish Tribe had about 400 members, and in 2019, they had about 600 members. Since 1975, the tribe has been led by Chairwoman Cecile Hansen, an enrolled member of

8814-419: The original bridge carried two lanes of traffic in each direction, it did not include shoulders or pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. The lack of a shoulder led to traffic congestion in the event of an accident, which would block one or two lanes in a given direction and block emergency services from accessing the bridge. Planning of the replacement bridge started in 1997 with a cross-lake study conducted by

8927-400: The parties that persist into the modern day. The treaty was signed by then-territorial governor Isaac Stevens and representatives from the Duwamish (led by Chief Seattle) and 14 other treaty tribes. It would not be ratified until 1859, four years after the negotiations. During that time, the unsigned treaty was used as justification for many illegal encroachments on Duwamish territory. Due to

9040-469: The pre-contact period, the village was the highest form of social organization. Each village had one or more cedar plank longhouses housing one or more extended families. Longhouses were often divided into sections by dividers made of cattail or cedar, with each family having their own section of the house with a fire pit in the center of the section. A single longhouse could support as few as tens of people, to as many as hundreds of people. The Duwamish,

9153-413: The preservation and revitalization of their culture, language, and land. Duwamish people today are enrolled in several different tribes. These include the unrecognized Duwamish Tribe and the federally recognized tribes : The name "Duwamish" is an anglicization of the Lushootseed name dxʷdəwʔabš . The name dxʷdəwʔabš means "people inside the bay." The name refers to the Cedar River, which

9266-424: The rate for standard two axle passenger vehicles ranges from a minimum of $ 1.35 from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. to a maximum of $ 4.90 during peak commuting hours on weekdays; an additional $ 2 is charged for mail users. Major holidays are assessed at the weekend rate, which ranges from $ 1.35 overnight to $ 2.95 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Vehicles with more than two axels are charged an additional rate. In 2023,

9379-577: The region at ever-increasing rates, eventually leading to the Treaty of Point Elliot in 1855. In 1854, American ethnologist George Gibbs conducted a survey of the Indigenous peoples of Puget Sound. In this survey, he recorded 162 Duwamish people living at Lake Fork and along the Duwamish River, and 189 Duwamish and their relatives living on Lake Washington and along the Green and White rivers, for an estimated total of 351. The Duwamish attended and took part in

9492-492: The repeated burning of still-existing Duwamish settlements. By this time, all Duwamish were either living on reservations or as part of white settlements. However, William Rogers (the nephew of William/Stoda) and Charles Satiacum continued the sociopolitical relationships between individual Duwamish both on and off the reservation. In 1915, in cooperation with the Northwest Federation of American Indians, they produced

9605-403: The reservation. The reservation was understood by the Indigenous people at the meeting to consist of a wedge of land between the White and Green rivers, however the official documents only include the area of today's reservation. It was created in 1857 by executive order. In the years following, most of the remaining Duwamish moved from their historical homelands along Lake Washington and along

9718-561: The reservations, many others did not, preferring to remain in their homelands, creating a schism between Duwamish descendants. Today, the Duwamish, including the modern tribes descended from the aboriginal Duwamish such as the Suquamish Nation , the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe , and the unrecognized Duwamish Tribe , have been a large part of the modern history of the Seattle area, continuing to advocate for their treaty rights and

9831-416: The road surface is directly on pontoons connected end-to-end, the new bridge featured pontoons laid north–south, perpendicular to the direction of vehicular traffic, and a road surface on a platform raised 20 feet (6.1 m) above the water. This design includes shoulders and a protected pedestrian and bicycle path across the viaduct. The floating bridge is laid atop 77 concrete pontoons that float above

9944-517: The signing of the Treaty of Point Elliot on January 22, 1855, at bək̓ʷəɬtiwʔ (Point Elliott, now Mukilteo, Washington ). The treaty was drawn up hastily and negotiations were conducted only in English and Chinook Jargon , a trade language which was not spoken by many attending and later deemed not suitable for diplomatic processes. This poor diplomacy created several misunderstandings and disputes between

10057-477: The state Department of Transportation. The study followed several others in the late 20th century to find solutions to traffic on the SR 520 floating bridge, with most proposals rejected after heavy opposition from communities on both ends of the bridge. The preferred alternative for the bridge's design, with four general-purpose lanes and two HOV lanes, was announced by WSDOT in April 2010. Alternative options included

10170-441: The state gas tax earmarked for highways in 2005, toll revenue, and federal highway funds and loans. In 2014, the budget for the project was increased by $ 250 million to cover cost overruns. The western portions of the project in Seattle, which are budgeted at $ 2 billion, were the last to be funded as part of the 2015 and 2022 legislative transportation packages. The first stage of the SR 520 floating bridge replacement project

10283-512: The town of Seattle following the passage of Town of Seattle Ordinance No. 5 . Efforts were made to increase the size of the already existing reservations or create another reservation for the Duwamish to accommodate the influx of people. G. A. Paige, the Indian Agent in charge of the Port Madison reservation, wrote in 1857 that a reservation should be established at the Lake Fork, as requested by

10396-530: The trail was fully opened on December 20, 2017. The original approach bridge continued to carry eastbound traffic until it was closed in November 2019 to prepare for construction of the south half of the new approach bridge. All four lanes of traffic between Montlake Boulevard and the floating bridge was directed onto the westbound approach bridge, which was narrowed and restriped for the multi-year construction period. A temporary onramp from Lake Washington Boulevard

10509-685: The treaty commission that all tribes west of the Cascades would eventually locate to the Tulalip Reservation , including the Duwamish, and some Duwamish did indeed move to the Tulalip Reservation at the time. The then-believed temporary Port Madison reservation was established for use primarily by the Duwamish, Suquamish, and several other tribes. While many Duwamish later moved to the Port Madison reservation, including Seattle, many did not, and either never left or returned to their homelands along

10622-465: The treaty guaranteed both hunting and fishing rights, and reservations for all signatory tribes. As part of that guarantee, the Port Madison , Snohomish , Swinomish , and Lummi reservations were established as temporary reservations, and it was promised by the American side that other reservations would soon be expanded and new reservations established for other tribes. It was originally planned by

10735-402: The treaty: Seattle, Ts'huahntl, Nowachais, and Hasehdooan. Seattle signed the treaty under for the Duwamish, Suquamish, and twenty-one other tribes designated as "allied tribes" under the Duwamish, creating the notion that he was the paramount chief of a large confederation of tribes. This did not reflect the reality of Duwamish political organization at the time. Hasehdooan/Keokuck was one of

10848-489: The water and are secured by 58 anchors to the lake bottom. Of the pontoons, 21 are longitudinal pontoons that support the deck and structure and are 360 by 75 by 28 feet (109.7 m × 22.9 m × 8.5 m) and weigh 11,000 short tons (10,000 t); 54 smaller supplemental pontoons, weighing 2,500 short tons (2,300 t), are used to stabilize the weight of the bridge; and two "cross" pontoons, weighing 10,100 short tons (9,200 t), are sited at each end of

10961-412: The world's widest measuring 116 feet (35 m) at its midpoint. It is a toll bridge and uses electronic collection. The bridge opened in April 2016 and replaced original Evergreen Point Floating Bridge at the site, which was 130 feet (40 m) shorter and four lanes wide. The original bridge was vulnerable to earthquakes and strong wind events, which would frequently shut down traffic. Planning for

11074-498: Was 130 feet (40 m) shorter in length. Traffic on the new bridge was shifted over in two stages, beginning with westbound traffic on April 11 and ending with eastbound traffic on April 25. Initially, the bridge narrowed from 6 lanes to 4 lanes at the end of the floating span, over 1.2 miles (1.9 km) east of the Montlake Boulevard interchange, and was not fully traversable for bicyclists and pedestrians. Shortly after

11187-580: Was appealed and upheld in 1979. Duwamish descendants enrolled in the federally recognized tribes had fishing rights; however, the Duwamish Tribe, as they are unrecognized, were not included in the Boldt Decision. The Duwamish Tribe themselves have also been working towards federal recognition. In 1977, the Duwamish Tribe filed a petition for federal recognition. The Duwamish continue to be involved in Seattle's urban Indian culture and are represented in institutions such as United Indians of All Tribes and

11300-429: Was based on impeccable genealogy, inter-tribal kinship, wise use of resources, and possession of esoteric knowledge about the workings of spirits and the spirit world, making an effective marriage of class, secular, religious, and economic power. There were physical distinctions for high-status individuals: mothers carefully shaped the heads of their young babies, binding them with cradle boards just long enough to produce

11413-424: Was completed in 1968, and the lake responded quickly. The algal blooms diminished, the water regained its clarity, and by 1975, recovery was complete. Careful studies by a group of limnologists from the University of Washington showed that phosphate was the culprit. Since then, Lake Washington has undergone major improvements, drastically improving the ecology and water quality, making the water twice as clear as it

11526-418: Was demoted. A floating, 660-short-ton (600 t) cofferdam was launched in November 2013 to assist in repairs of the pontoons, functioning as a portable drydock that wrapped around parts of the pontoons. The repairs were made by the contractor at the direction of WSDOT from December 2013 to June 2014 and cost a total of approximately $ 208 million, using up the majority of the program's reserve funds. As

11639-605: Was established by the 1856 Fox Island Council, and is located mostly along the White River . The Muckleshoot Tribe was created by the merger of the tribes living on the Muckleshoot Reservation after the 1934 Wheeler-Howard Act (also known as the Indian Reorganization Act). They operate several tribal businesses, casinos, schools, and other services, and they work closely with state, federal, and city affairs in

11752-435: Was in 1950. Duwamish people The Duwamish ( Lushootseed : dxʷdəwʔabš , [dxʷdəwʔɑbʃ] ) are a Lushootseed-speaking Southern Coast Salish people in western Washington , and the Indigenous people of metropolitan Seattle . Prior to colonization, the center of Duwamish society was around the Black and Duwamish rivers in Washington. The modern Duwamish primarily descend from two separate groups:

11865-421: Was in place from its opening in 2016. The tolls are projected to generate $ 1.2 billion by 2056 to pay off bonds for the project as well as bridge operations and maintenance, debt service, future repairs, insurance, and deferred sales tax. The toll varies by time of day as well as day of week and applies in each direction. Rates are reviewed annually to cover all operational costs and debt service. Since August 2024,

11978-403: Was later revised to two due to aesthetic issues. Moreover, the lighting mounted on top of the deck had to be positioned to minimize light pollution as well as its effect on aquatic habitat. The bridge has two general purpose lanes and one high-occupancy vehicle lane (HOV lane) per direction. It includes shoulders and a 14-foot-wide (4.3 m) pedestrian/bicycle path on the north side, unlike

12091-462: Was located on Salmon Bay . At the time of initial major European contact, these peoples considered themselves wholly distinct from the Duwamish. The center of Duwamish territory was historically the area at the confluence of the Black and Cedar Rivers, called the Lake Fork. Western Washington has been permanently inhabited since at least 12,000 years ago, to the Pleistocene epoch and the end of

12204-415: Was not implemented and replaced by increased frequency on King County Metro and Sound Transit Express routes that serve the corridor. Existing freeway bus stations (also known as "flyer stops") on the Eastside at Evergreen Point and Yarrow Point were rebuilt and moved from the freeway's shoulder to the median , accompanied by landscaped lids with parking and lawns, in 2014 for increased compatibility with

12317-410: Was opened a month later to replace the last of the unused Thomson Expressway ramps. Two mobile gantry cranes were used to disassemble and lift pieces of the old approach bridge beginning in 2020 after a construction delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The eastbound lanes on the approach bridge were opened to limited traffic in July 2023 and expanded to carry three lanes in its permanent configuration

12430-473: Was potent and effective until European diseases arriving in the 1770s and ravaged the region for more than a century. By 1851, the Duwamish had 17 villages with at least 93 buildings, including longhouses , around the present-day Seattle area. There were four prominent villages on Elliott Bay and the lower Duwamish River. Before modern civil engineering, the area at the mouth of Elliot Bay had extensive tidelands which were abundantly rich in marine life and

12543-509: Was primarily (71%) composed of people descended from early mixed-race marriages in the 1850s, but otherwise had little to no contact with extant Duwamish communities at the time. In the early 1900s, many Duwamish had converted to the Indian Shaker Church , a local religion of mixed Christian and Indigenous beliefs. Since then, the primary religion of the Duwamish has been Christianity, albeit of several different denominations. Much of

12656-424: Was taken. The Muckleshoot reservation was eventually expanded by executive order in 1874, in order to provide a home for the other Duwamish living on the lower Duwamish drainage system. After the 1860s, the Duwamish who remained off-reservation continued to live in their traditional communities along Lake Washington and the Black, Cedar, White, and Green rivers. Traditional longhouses were built at these sites into

12769-469: Was the construction of 77 concrete pontoons in 2011 and 2012 by Kiewit-General-Manson at two purpose-built facilities in Aberdeen and Tacoma . The pontoons were floated to the bridge on Lake Washington via the Lake Washington Ship Canal . Pontoon assembly and fastening, to form the floating bridge's deck, began in 2014 and concluded in July 2015. In 2012, WSDOT identified cracks and other problems with

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