SR 520 Bridge Replacement & HOV Project

Construction update: Westbound SR 520 off-ramps to Montlake and eastbound Arboretum on-ramp closed this weekend, Sept. 21-22

Last weekend’s rain prevented completion of new, temporary westbound off-ramp

WSDOT contractor crews will work around the clock this coming weekend to complete the construction of a new, temporary off-ramp to Montlake Boulevard and Lake Washington Boulevard that travelers will use for much of the four-year Montlake Project. We attempted to finish this work last weekend, but rain washed out our plan. Completing this weekend’s work still depends on the weather because it involves paving.

The westbound SR 520 off-ramps to Montlake Boulevard and Lake Washington Boulevard will close at 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, and reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 23. Weekend-long closures like this allow crews to condense their work and avoid what would otherwise be many overnight sessions of potentially noisy work. Whenever possible, the noisiest construction activities this weekend will be done during daytime hours to limit disruptions to neighbors.

Additionally, crews will close the eastbound SR 520 on-ramp through the Arboretum to do some soil sampling in preparation for construction of a new eastbound-only bridge over Union Bay. The ramp will be closed from 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 23.

As always, this work is weather-dependent and subject to change.

Highlights of what you need to know for the weekend

• From 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 23, the westbound SR 520 off-ramps to Montlake and Lake Washington boulevards will be closed.
• From 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 23, the eastbound on-ramp to SR 520 in the Arboretum will be closed.
• Westbound SR 520 traffic headed to northeast Seattle will be detoured to Northeast 45th Street via northbound I-5.
• Riding the bus? Be sure to visit King County Metro’s Alerts & Updates page for more information.

What to expect following the weekend: Don’t miss your exit Monday morning!

• On Monday, Sept. 23, westbound drivers exiting to Montlake Boulevard will use the new, temporary off-ramp’s two right lanes.

• This is a change from current conditions, where drivers use the off-ramp’s left lane to access Montlake Boulevard. Starting Monday, the ramp’s left lane will connect vehicles to Lake Washington Boulevard.

What to expect for bicyclists and pedestrians

• The SR 520 Trail across Lake Washington will be open this weekend.
• Bike and pedestrian access across the 24th Avenue East overpass will close Friday night, Sept. 20, and remain closed for the duration of the project. When the project is complete, the route will reopen over the new Montlake lid. During project construction, detour routes will be available along Montlake Boulevard. Later this year, we’ll open a separate north-south route for bicyclists and pedestrians that passes under SR 520 east of 24th Avenue.
• Monday morning Sept. 23, a temporary connection will open from the SR 520 Trail to Montlake Boulevard just north of the Montlake Boulevard off-ramp. Keep your fingers crossed for no rain this weekend so this new trail section can open!

As always, if you have any questions about this work, you can call the 24-hour Montlake Project construction hotline at 206-775-8885.

Lights, camera … construction! View Montlake Project work online and track its progress

• Want to follow our construction progress from home? Now you can since we’ve started taking selfies, robotically, of our Montlake Project construction!

Online photos from four cameras show the worksite from various viewpoints. New pictures are shot and posted every 10 minutes ‘round the clock, and you can browse through previous photos to see crews making progress. With these cameras, you can:

• View auto-generated time-lapses. Right click anywhere on the picture and select “Time-Lapse Movies.” You’ll be able to see two videos showing how the worksite has changed during construction.
• Select a smaller area on each camera and compare its progress to current conditions. On the bottom right of the screen, next to the date bar, is a rectangle button with dashed lines around the edge. Click on the button and a box will appear in the middle of the screen. You can move this box around the picture and change the size/dimensions of the box. Then, start browsing through different dates/times using the forward/back buttons at the bottom of the screen. You’ll notice that the pictures in the box will change, according to your time selection, and the rest of the image will stay static. This feature allows you to see how a specific part of the work site has changed over time, and compare it to current conditions!

Start planning: westbound SR 520 closed Oct. 5-6 weekend

Heads up! On the first weekend of October, westbound SR 520 will be closed across Lake Washington. Work will begin at 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, and end by 5 a.m. Monday, Oct 7. During the westbound closure, crews will install temporary barrier, as well as pave and restripe the roadway to create two lanes of traffic in both directions on the new westbound bridge. By Monday morning, westbound traffic will shift to a new two-lane configuration. We’ll provide more details as we get closer to this closure.

 

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