Milestones looming for I-405/167 project
Aug 16, 2018, 5:03 AM | Updated: 7:48 am
In May, crews tie rebar on a section of deck for the future flyover ramp as part of ongoing construction for the I-405/SR 167 Interchange Direct Connector Project in Renton. (WSDOT)
(WSDOT)
There’s no Revive I-5 this weekend, but there are major closures on I-405.
The northbound direction is going to be down to just two lanes in Renton from about 167 to the Maple Valley Highway all weekend for a striping project.
“We’re expecting some very severe congestion, maybe all the way back to I-5 in the five to six mile range of backups,” said Kim Henry, the I-405 project administrator for the Washington State Department of Transportation. “It will be impacting I-5. It will be impacting northbound 167 as well. Drivers should expect 30-to-45 minute delays through the area from Friday night through Monday morning.”
WSDOT is adding direct access ramps from the HOV/HOT lanes of 167 to the HOV lanes on I-405. It is designed to prevent all the weaving from the HOV lanes to the exits, which should really help the daily congestion in Renton.
Henry said they expect to finish the flyover ramps by next year, well ahead of schedule if the current pace continues.
“Girders are being set now, and we’ll have to get the bridge deck in so there’s a lot of work left to be done this year,” he said. “The touch-downs on either end are nearing completion as well.”
The new ramps are just the set-up for the next huge phase of the project, which is to widen I-405 between Renton and Bellevue, adding a lane in each direction.
Henry said they just opened up the contracting process this week. The state still has to buy land along the way to make room for the widening.
It’s important to note that these new I-405 lanes will be part of an expanded Express Toll Lane system and not general purpose lanes. The plan is to have a buy-in lane option for drivers from Lynnwood to Auburn along the 405/167 corridor.
Another key component of that will be the eventual widening of I-405 between Bothell and Lynnwood so that WSDOT can add a second lane in the ETL system. Money for that part of the project hasn’t been approved by the Legislature yet, though funding for engineering on that stretch has been approved.
Henry said finishing the Renton ramps will mark a huge milestone for the project.
“This really has been quite an effort over the years, but we’re excited at this stage because this is really starting to feel like one of those most critical links,” Henry said.
Construction on the I-405 widening project between Renton and Bellevue should begin next year.
