I-405 closed, creating traffic nightmare on the Eastside
Jul 13, 2024, 6:00 AM | Updated: 6:24 am
No traffic seen on I-405 on Saturday morning. (WSDOT)
(WSDOT)
This is not the weekend to hit the Eastside because Interstate 405 (I-405), south of Bellevue, is closed.
You will not be able to travel between Bellevue and Renton this weekend. All lanes of I-405 will be closed through 4 a.m. Monday. All southbound drivers will be diverted off the freeway at Coal Creek Parkway. All northbound drivers will be diverted off the freeway at Sunset Boulevard.
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“We are aware that these closures are challenging and frustrating for drivers,” the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) Craig Smiley said. “We do our best to coordinate these things and plan it out so it’s as painless as possible, but we know that there’s going to be some delays associated with it. We just thank everybody for their patience ahead of time.”
WSDOT had two similar full I-405 closures last summer, and it created huge delays.
Say it ain’t so, I will not go…on I-405 between Renton & Bellevue this weekend, because it’s closing! It’s a Summertime filled with lots of construction, maintenance and events. So much for All the Small Things.
Plan ahead, know before you go, and enjoy the Eternal Sunshine! 🌞 pic.twitter.com/xmfMlGuS0T— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) July 12, 2024
“We are recommending that people travel early or late after the peaks,” Smiley advised. “If they have discretionary trips that can be rescheduled, please do so. It’s going to be pretty tough going on the Eastside in general.”
The detour route is Coal Creek Parkway, and it cannot handle a lot of traffic. There will be uniformed officers working the intersections to help people move through. The best bet is to avoid the whole area if you can.
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“It really is going to depend on how many people find alternative routes or try to travel during different times of the day,” Smiley said.
What’s WSDOT doing this weekend that requires such a drastic closure of I-405?
“We built a new bridge that’s going to accommodate a direct access ramp to the center of the freeway, right there at 112th Avenue/Lake Washington Boulevard right by the Newport Hills parking ride so we have to remove the old bridge,” Smiley said.
The old bridge will come down this weekend. Contractors are also tearing up a section of the freeway for a fish culvert.
“We’re tacking on a bunch of other work to make sure that we’re getting the best bang for the buck for the closures,” Smiley said. “There’s going to be a fish passage culvert that will also be installed this weekend.”
This is not the last of the major I-405 closures coming up this summer. There are four more full weekend closures of the freeway, one direction each weekend through October.
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WSDOT is working with the Seattle Seahawks to handle the impacts of traveling to training camp, which is inside the closure zones. Whether they all happen is up in the air. It depends on how much gets done each closure.
There is a chance that the opening of the I-405 expansion from Bellevue to Renton could be pushed into 2026 because of the list of work still needed to finish.
Contributing: Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest
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