Traffic is finally returning to normal on I-90

Sep 25, 2018, 7:05 AM | Updated: 12:30 pm

Wildlife overpass on I-90 near Snoqualmie Pass. (KIRO Radio, Chris Sullivan)

BY CHRIS SULLIVAN

KIRO Newsradio traffic reporter

Drivers are finally getting their lanes back on I-90 east of Snoqualmie Pass. They no longer have to worry about jumping through moving-target construction detours, or driving on the opposite side of the freeway.

The Washington State Department of Transportation has opened-up the newly refurbished and widened I-90 eastbound lanes, east of Snoqualmie Pass. Drivers are once again driving on the proper side of the freeway. Two of the three lanes are open, and the third should be open in a few weeks. The westbound lanes, which had been handling both directions of traffic, will be back to normal in a few weeks as well.

Photos of the overpass

“We had all the traffic moved-up into the westbound lanes so you had narrow lanes and no shoulders, and now you’re back to full shoulders so if you break-down you can pull over,” WSDOT assistant regional manager for construction Brian White said. “It’s more intuitive as you cross Snoqualmie Pass as to where you’re supposed to be.”

White said this extra room will help traffic move through the area more smoothly. This marks the halfway point of this 15 mile construction project that’s been under construction for more than a decade, a project that has included widening, slope stabilization, and new bridges.

“We’re going to take a little break and let you enjoy the new lanes, but then we’re going to come back in two years and start our next project, which is going to be down at Easton,” White said.

Wildlife crossing over I-90

One of the key components of this widening and safety project is keeping wildlife and cars from mixing on the freeway. Accidents between cars and wildlife have been a huge problem in this area. That’s why the state added a wildlife crossing over I-90 as part of this project. Patty Garvey-Darda with the US Forest Service said the traffic has increased so much on I-90 that it has become a barrier to migrating wildlife.

“The Columbia River is a natural barrier, and I-90 has become a barrier so the big issue was the south Cascades becoming isolated from the north Cascades because of this barrier effect,” she said.

How will the state make the wildlife use the crossing? It’s not like you can ticket an elk for failure to use the crossing.

“The whole interstate will be fenced so the animals are funneled to these crossing structures,” Garvey-Darda said. “It’s going to make the highway a lot safer for the traveling public.”

The animals are already catching-on. They are trying to use it now, despite it still being under construction. Many are using the stream under-crossing that was also part of this project. The over-crossing will be finished next year, and then downed-logs and vegetation will be added to give it a more natural feel.

This seven mile project from Hyak and Stampede Pass is funded by the 2005 gas tax and carries a $551 million price-tag. The next project, extending the third lane to Easton, is funded by the Connecting Washington package and carries a price-tag of $426 million.

Standing on the new wildlife bridge over I90, east of Hyak. New EB lanes are about to open after years of construction. pic.twitter.com/BQqQmNm4cV

— Chris Sullivan (@NEWSGUYSULLY) September 24, 2018