Date:
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Contact:
Doug Haight, Project Engineer, (425) 649-4429 (Bellevue)
Laura Johnson, WSDOT Communications, (206) 254-7625 (Seattle)
SEATTLE – This week drivers traveling south on I-405 at night through Kirkland should prepare for delays or plan alternate routes.
On Tuesday through Thursday nights and Saturday night (Feb. 21-23 and 25), crews will close up to three lanes of southbound I-405 near NE 132nd Street. The first lane will close at 7 p.m., with three lanes closed by 11 p.m. All lanes in both directions of NE 132nd Street under I-405 will be closed at 8 p.m. Signed detours will be in place for this city street closure. By 6 a.m. each morning crews will reopen all southbound I-405 lanes and all lanes of NE 132nd Street.
These closures are necessary for crews to set girders for widening the southbound I-405 bridge over NE 132nd. Last November crews set girders to widen the northbound I-405 bridge, and traffic was shifted onto the new width last month. This past weekend crews closed the southbound I-405 on-ramp from westbound NE 124th to move the ramp several feet to the west. This is all part of the freeway widening necessary to provide room in the median for construction of the new NE 128th Street bridge and HOV on- and off-ramps.
Next Monday, Feb. 27, WSDOT will close Totem Lake Blvd at the NE 128th intersection for up to eight weeks as crews raise the elevation of the intersection to meet the height of the new NE 128th bridge. Local access to businesses will be maintained.
All of this work is associated with Sound Transit’s Totem Lake Freeway Station Project, designed and built by WSDOT. New HOV ramps in the I-405 median will allow carpools, vanpools and buses to enter and exit the freeway without merging through three lanes of traffic, easing congestion and enhancing safety for all drivers. The new bridge across I-405 at NE 128th Street will provide a new east-west route across I-405 for all drivers. The new ramps and bridge are scheduled to open in late 2006. This project will also complement WSDOT’s larger plan for congestion improvements along the I-405 corridor.
For more project information or to sign up for e-mail updates on I-405 projects, please visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I405/TotemLake.
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Drivers can now get real time traffic and weather information by dialing 5-1-1 from most phones. This new traveler information system builds upon the highly successful Washington State Highway hotline that managed 4.6 million calls each year. Callers can also use 5-1-1 to get statewide construction, mountain pass condition, and state ferry system information, as well as toll free numbers for passenger rail and airlines. TTY users can call 1-800-833-6388.
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