New, Temporary SR 520 Eastbound On-Ramp Opens Fri. 12/20

In this update:

• New, temporary eastbound on-ramp opens this Friday, Dec. 20
• Key Montlake Project updates
  • Pile driving continues for work bridges near Foster Island
  • Cellular communications facility on WSDOT peninsula
  • Montlake Market property update
• We want to hear from you: Take our end-of-year Montlake Project outreach survey

New, temporary eastbound on-ramp opens this Friday, Dec. 20

Heads up, eastbound travelers: Crews plan to permanently close the existing eastbound SR 520 on-ramp through the Arboretum on Friday, Dec. 20, at 5 a.m. and open a new, temporary on-ramp farther west. As usual, construction schedules are dynamic and subject to change, and this work is weather-dependent. The temporary on-ramp will be open for the next couple of years to provide an alternative eastbound access point for drivers during Montlake Project construction. You can see the location of the new on-ramp on the map below shown in blue.

Additionally, Friday morning crews will activate a new traffic signal at the intersection of East Lake Washington Boulevard and 24th Avenue East.

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Key Montlake Project updates

Since starting construction last summer, Montlake Project crews have completed several significant milestones, including realigning SR 520 to allow for constructing new eastbound lanes between Montlake and the floating bridge. Below are a few key updates.   

• Pile driving continues for work bridges near Foster Island

Crews continue to remove sections of the old eastbound SR 520 bridge across Union Bay and install piles for temporary work bridges. Soon after the existing eastbound Arboretum on-ramp closes, you may see additional activity, including crane assembly, near Foster Island as crews set up a second pile-driving location on the eastern portion of the bridge.

• Cellular communications facility on WSDOT Peninsula

Construction of the new cellular communications facility on the WSDOT Peninsula is well underway. The concrete foundation, ground slabs, and perimeter wall are nearly complete, and electrical work has begun. On Saturday, Dec. 21, crews will use a large crane to stack and secure the metal sections of the new structure’s 120-foot-tall “trunk.” This work is expected to take one day and will allow crews to begin installing wireless communications equipment (antennas, remote radios, and cabling) on the structure over the course of about six weeks.

Once this equipment is in place, crews will attach specially fabricated, branch-like pieces to the “monofir” structure that will mimic the appearance of a fir tree. This “branch” installation is tentatively scheduled for mid- to late-February, and will coincide with other final on-the-ground work, including landscaping to visually screen the new facility.

• Montlake Market property update

In June 2019, WSDOT acquired the property where the 76 gas station and Montlake Market operate. The property is needed for Montlake Project construction work and permanent corridor improvements. After several months of coordination with the business owners, the 76 gas station and the Montlake Market will close by the end of this month. 

During the first few weeks of January 2020, neighbors can expect to see crews begin to install fencing around the property, move equipment onto the site, and clear the site to create space for necessary construction activities. Also in early January, neighbors may see the Montlake Market owners removing their supplies and equipment from the site.

We want to hear from you: Take our end-of-year Montlake Project outreach survey

As the year comes to a close and we look ahead to 2020, we want to take a moment to reflect and hear from you. To help us plan our outreach and communications efforts, we’d like your input. We’re running a survey from now through early January that asks you to evaluate our communications tools and let us know if you have ideas for how we can improve. During this busy holiday season, we’d appreciate it if you took a few minutes to let us know. Thanks in advance!

WSDOT contractor crews are in the process of removing the old eastbound lanes, in the foreground, and then will construct a new, three-lane bridge over Union Bay for eastbound traffic.

 

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