Project Facts
- Washington State's sixth direct access ramps
- Ramps provide direct access to new NE 128th St. bridge and Kingsgate Park-and-Ride
- Adds a fourth east-west route across I-405 in the Totem Lake area of Kirkland
May 2008
- Crews continue to work on the last pieces of this project. In May they will work to pave the ramps at NE 124th Street, apply highly reflective plastic striping throughout the project and complete electrical and landscaping work. Much of the work is weather dependent and could be delayed.
- On April 26, WSDOT and Sound Transit held a community celebration for the new Totem Lake freeway station at the Kingsgate Park-and-Ride lot. Thanks to everyone who came out and joined us on a beautiful day.
- All the ramps at NE 128th Street are restricted to buses and other vehicles carrying two or more people. These restrictions are in place 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Left turns are prohibited from NE 128th Street onto Totem Lake Blvd. due to safety and traffic flow concerns. We are monitoring this intersection to see if there is need for changes and possible improvements.
- We partially reopened 116th Avenue NE from NE 128th Street south to McDonalds in Dec. 2007. One lane of travel in each direction is now open to traffic as well as a temporary walkway for pedestrians. We are working to open the sidewalk on the west side of the street as soon as possible. The partial street opening will remain in place until the work is completed in spring 2008.
Overview
WSDOT and Sound Transit built HOV on and off-ramps in the I-405 median at NE 128th Street in the Totem Lake area of Kirkland. We also built a bridge at NE 128th Street which will provide a new east-west route over the freeway in Kirkland.
Why is WSDOT
working with Sound Transit to build direct access ramps for buses, carpools and vanpools at NE 128th Street in Kirkland?
I-405 moves about 150,000 vehicles a day in the Kirkland area. Buses, vanpools and carpools traveling between the I-405 high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and the Kingsgate Park & Ride have to cross through three lanes of traffic to get on and off the freeway at the crowded NE 124th Street interchange.
Our Partners
This project is a partnership of WSDOT, Sound Transit and the city of Kirkland.
The End Result
The completed project will provide improved access for buses, carpools and vanpools to the I-405 HOV lanes. It will also provide Kirkland drivers a new east-west route over I-405, as building the direct access ramps in the median enables WSDOT to extend NE 128th Street across I-405.
Project Benefits
• Congestion. The new ramp carries buses, carpools and vanpools over traffic and directly in and out of HOV lanes. This provides faster, safer and more reliable service for transit buses and other HOVs by eliminating the need to weave through freeway traffic.
• Safety. Improves safety by eliminating weaving and merging by traffic trying to get into and out of the HOV lanes. This will reduce the potential for collisions.
• Environment. Crews built water quality treatment ponds to help filter construction runoff and runoff from the freeway when construction is complete.
What is the project timeline?
May 2005:
WSDOT and Sound Transit awarded contract to the most competitive bidder, Max J. Kuney Construction of Spokane, WA, for $42 million
June 2005:
Began construction
Summer 2005-spring 2006:
Widened northbound and southbound I-405
Feb.-Mar. 2006:
Rebuilt Totem Lake Blvd. / NE 128th intersection
Spring 2006:
Set girders for east half of NE 128th Street bridge
Began building HOV direct access ramps
Early summer 2006:
Set girders for west half of NE 128th Street bridge
Lowered section of northbound I-405 near NE 124th Street
Summer 2006:
Rebuilt section of southbound I-405 near NE 128th Street
Early 2007:
Rebuilt 116th Ave. NE / NE 128th intersection
Early 2007/spring 2007:
Opened direct access ramps south of NE 128th Street to HOV and transit
Opened NE 128th Street bridge to the east and west, including to Kingsgate Park-and-Ride
Started rebuilding 116th Avenue NE to the south of NE 128th Street
Fall 2007:
Opened direct access ramps north of NE 128th Street to HOV and transit
Partially opened 116th Avenue NE to pedestrians and vehicular traffic
Spring 2008:
Fully open 116th Avenue NE
Complete project
Public Involvement
Your thoughts and opinions are important to us. If you have questions or comments, please contact us:
Doug Haight, WSDOT Project Engineer
425.649.4429 / HaightD@wsdot.wa.gov
Roger Iwata, Sound Transit Community Outreach Specialist
206.689.4904 / iwatar@soundtransit.org
If you would like to be included on Sound Transit's mailing list for project updates, e-mail Sound Transit at mailinglist@soundtransit.org.
Environmental Protection
We built detention ponds and are collecting and treating the water that runs off the roadway. We're using a biodegradable, nontoxic extract from shellfish shells called chitosan to purify the water. The chitosan traps dirt, and then we send the water through a sand filter and the dirt is removed. We're also taking measures to prevent erosion, such as seeding finished slopes and covering unfinished slopes with plastic tarps.
Please visit the WSDOT Environmental
Services Web site for more information.
Increasing safety is one of our priorities
The project will help decrease the risk of collisions and driver frustration by providing dedicated on-and off-ramps for carpools, vanpools and buses. As a result, these vehicles will no longer have to merge across three lanes of traffic to get on and off the freeway in Kirkland.
Will this project impact tribal resources?
At WSDOT we seek to address the concerns of the tribal nations using the process outlined in Section 106 of The National Historic Preservation Act and the WSDOT Tribal Consultation Policy adopted in 2003 by the Transportation Commission as part of the WSDOT Centennial Accord Plan.
We initiated Section 106 Consultation with the Muckleshoot, Tulalip, Snoqualmie, Yakama, Suquamish, Duwamish, and Kikiallus Tribes in July 2000. We produced a cultural resource survey and forwarded it to the tribes for review and comment in August 2001. The State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) concurred with the findings of no historic properties in the project area in October 2001.
Financial Information
This project is funded through the following fund sources:
- Transportation 2003 Account (Nickel funding) - $1,545,000
- Existing Funds - $6,000,000
- Other Agency Funds - $69,980,718
The majority of these funds are provided by Sound Transit. The city of Kirkland is also contributing funds.
- Total funding from all sources - $77,525,718
How can I get more information?
Contact:
Project Engineer Doug Haight
WSDOT Project Office
3241 118th Ave. SE. Suite A
Bellevue, WA 98005-4138
Phone: 425.649.4429
E-mail: HaightD@wsdot.wa.gov
or
Erin Bogenschutz
WSDOT Communications
401 Second Avenue South, Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98104-3858
Phone: 206.716.1165
E-mail: bogense@wsdot.wa.gov
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