Crossing Lake Washington may take a bit more planning and patience this weekend when State Route 520 closes between Seattle and Interstate 405. The highway will remain open to traffic between I-5 and Montlake Boulevard, and east of I-405.
The Washington State Department of Transportation is closing all lanes and ramps on SR 520, in both directions, between Seattle’s Montlake Boulevard and I-405. The closure extends from 11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7 to 5 a.m. Monday, Feb. 10.
The weekend traffic restriction will allow construction crews working on WSDOT’s Eastside Transit and HOV Project to tackle critical work that can be done only while the highway is closed to traffic.
“Unless it’s more convenient to go north or south around Lake Washington, the I-90 floating bridge will be your weekend choice for cross-lake travel,” said Steve Strand, WSDOT project engineer for SR 520’s Eastside construction. “We appreciate the public’s understanding of the need to close off the highway so we can get this work done as quickly and safely as possible.”
During the weekend closure, crews will realign lanes in both directions of SR 520, roughly from 92nd Avenue Northeast to I-405, to make room for further upgrades in coming months. They also will install overhead electronic signs, concrete noise-wall panels, utilities and storm water drainage pipes. In addition, crews working on the new West Connection Bridge will pour concrete for support columns of the interim bridge structure, which will join the new SR 520 floating bridge to the highway’s existing lanes in Seattle.
Night work is planned, so residents near the work zone might hear construction noise.
Once the highway reopens early Monday, westbound traffic will shift north onto a new SR 520 overpass above 108th Avenue Northeast, while eastbound traffic will shift slightly south near the 108th Avenue Northeast interchange. This online map shows the lane realignment.
The Eastside construction is part of WSDOT’s broader SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program. Crews are widening SR 520 to six lanes between Medina and Bellevue, rebuilding interchanges, constructing highway lids, building in-median transit stops for the corridor’s new transit/HOV lanes, and installing fish-friendly culverts beneath the highway. The completed Medina-to-Bellevue corridor is expected to open to traffic in late summer.
Motorists can find more closure information on WSDOT’s SR 520 website. In addition, the website’s Orange Page contains an interactive map with sortable information on lane restrictions and construction activity.
