July 6, 2006
Changes to HR5290 the subject of ‘Grass Routes’
A number of Northwest artists, writers, musicians and dancers will gather on Friday, July 21, for a multidisciplinary festival called Grass Routes, designed to invite exploration of the effects of State Route 520 and its famous floating bridge on the surrounding natural environment.
Grass Routes will feature performances, art installations and more at the McEachern Auditorium at the Museum of History and Industry, at 2700 24th Ave. E., and the Washington Park Arboretum.
“Grass Routes will start, appropriately enough at 5:20 p.m. on Foster Island,” advance notes for the event state. The evening will begin with a welcoming by the Duwamish tribe’s language and dance group, T’ilibshudub, on Foster Point. “If you plan to attend the welcoming, please arrive before 5 p.m. to walk the waterfront trail. Performances are scheduled throughout the evening until 9 p.m.,” the notes state.
The Grass Routes event has been organized to help the public reflect on changes planned to SR520 by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). The department will release a draft impact statement on proposed changes this summer, to be followed by a 60-day public comment period.
The 42-year-old SR520 Evergreen Floating Point Bridge is vulnerable to high winds and earthquakes and must be replaced, according to the WSDOT. Four- and six-lane alternatives are being considered. (For more information, see http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/SR520Bridge/).
Talents to be featured in Grass Routes include playwright and author Nancy Rawles, musician/composer Robin Holcomb, environmental artist Buster Simpson. The evening will end with a dance performance around HR 520’s abandoned “ghost ramps.”
A donation of $5–20 is requested and tickets for auditorium events can be purchased in advance at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5513.
For more information on Grass Routes ticket, visit online at www.grassroutes.org.
