Date:
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Contact:
Jamie Holter, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4472 (Seattle)
Drivers should prepare for one more day of major I-405 lane closures
BELLEVUE – WSDOT contractors are making great progress applying the third and final test section of quieter asphalt pavement on northbound I-405 in South Bellevue. They are right on schedule and every task has been completed like clockwork. The work is a small part of a $124 million project to widen I-405 in both directions through South Bellevue.
“Today was tough for drivers,” said Lorena Eng, WSDOT Regional Administrator. “Tomorrow will be tougher. We’re counting on drivers to use alternate routes tomorrow to get where they want to go.”
WSDOT contractor crews are paving a test section of quieter asphalt to determine if changes in the additives, application temperature and foundation material affect durability and noise reduction properties.
Sunday closures
Paving continues tomorrow. Between midnight and 5 a.m. Sunday crews will:
- Close three right lanes on northbound I-405 between Coal Creek Parkway and SE 8th Street.
- Close ramps from northbound I-405 to eastbound and westbound I-90.
- Detour I-90 drivers to NE 6th Street and turn them back around to southbound I-405 to access I-90.
- Close the off-ramp to SE 8th Street
- Open the I-5 express lanes in the northbound direction to keep south to north traffic moving. Drivers are encouraged to take northbound I-5 to I-90 or SR 520 to get to Bellevue.
WSDOT also reminds drivers that the Danskin Triathlon will close the I-90 express lanes until 10:30 a.m. and the Seattle Mariners take on the New York Yankees at Safeco Field at 1:10. It will be very busy unless drivers plan ahead.
How to plan ahead, know before you go
WSDOT has many tools to help drivers plan their commute around Puget Sound.
Drivers can:
Saturday traffic
A combination of lane closures and serious collisions made for tough traffic on Saturday. Congestion started picking up on northbound I-405 at 10 a.m. A collision at NE Park Drive at 11 a.m. blocked three lanes for nearly 45 minutes and the freeway took hours to recover. Between 11:30 and 3 p.m. it took nearly two hours to travel from SR 169 in Renton to SE 8th in Bellevue.
“Construction closures are never easy. We appreciate drivers’ patience as we wrap this project up,” said Eng. “This fall drivers will have more lanes to use and those Tukwila to Bellevue commute times will drop. We’re very close!”
For more information, please visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I405/112thAvetoSE8th
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