This image from WSDOT shows the interchange plan we call the "Montlake Monster" associated with the Base 6 lane plan for SR 520 - the plan that failed to connect transit on SR 520 to light rail, failed to address the Montlake Bridge bottleneck, came with a nine lane Portage Bay Viaduct, and eliminated a huge swath of the remaining open space in the Montlake neighborhood. The Arboretum is just off the right edge of this image, with new "braided ramps" high in the air to bring traffic from center HOV lanes to the outside lanes to access Montlake Blvd. An additional traffic light is introduced on the already extremely congested Montlake Blvd. This was part of the inspiration for our efforts to think of a better way to integrate SR 520 into Seattle's urban fabric in the 21st century.

The lines you see are not textures. They denote lanes of traffic. This interchange is approximately 27 lanes worth of pavement from top to bottom (some of which is transit platforms, bus lanes, shoulders, etc.)

Also be sure to take a look at the photorealistic popup for the Base 6 lane plan to see this horrific image rendered into 3-D.