Image: Montlaker

An 11:30am drawspan opening on Seafair Sunday turned the 520 bridge into an unexpected promenade, with great views of the lake, the mountains, boats cruising south toward I-90 and the early air show above Stan Sayers Park. As traffic came to a standstill at midspan, kids jumped out of cars with parents and family dogs in tow. For the price of the toll (and a 30-minute delay), 520 became a floating concrete park — with a few foolhardy souls even taking to the water:

Image: Montlaker

What initially seemed like a commitment to swim the rest of the way, turned out not:

Image: Montlaker

With 520 scheduled to be replaced in 2014 and new pontoons soon making their way toward the Ballard Locks, these spontaneous drawspan “events” might give ideas to designers working on the Transforming Seattle’s 520 Bridge competition – registration for the competition ends August 10th, with submissions due August 15th.