I-405 gets a paint job and what that means for drivers
Sep 17, 2015, 8:04 AM | Updated: Sep 19, 2015, 10:38 pm
Another round of I-405 confusion may be on its way as crews begin painting new toll lane lines on the freeway. (WSDOT)
(WSDOT)
Drivers on I-405 have been struggling a little bit this week now that those new express toll lane signs have been installed, but that’s just the appetizer. Over the next 10 days, another course begins.
Workers are going to paint all the lane stripes and install new markers. How drivers react to that will be the real test.
Related: Driver wary of new toll lanes
The striping work begins Friday night. Crews are going to do the easiest section first — the stretch of I-405 between Bothell and Lynnwood where only the current HOV lane is being converted to an express toll lane.
“From State Route 520 up to I-5 we’re going to start putting in that double white line. We will be converting the existing HOV lane into what would be the express toll lane, when we get there,” said Project Engineer Lisa Hodgson. “What that means for drivers is, basically, that it is still the HOV lane, but there will be designated access points in and out of it. So it will be different for about a week until we get to the express toll lanes.”
That means you will only be able to get in and out of the HOV lane at the dotted white line — a big change for drivers. Crossing the double white could cost you a $136 ticket.
Hodgson says drivers should expect delays and lane restrictions as the striping work is being completed.
“We’re going to be striping Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and as long as it takes to finish that section both in northbound and in southbound sections,” Hodgson said. “It’s weather-dependent. So we’ll be playing with Mother Nature a little bit as we do that.”
The big lane closures are expected next weekend, when workers will be striping the lanes between Bellevue and Bothell. Only two lanes of I-405 will be open during that closure, which will last from the evening of Friday, Sept. 18 until mid-day on Sunday, Sept. 27.
Hodgson is confident everything is on track to open the new toll system on that day, Sept. 27.
“I think for me, if I have any anxiety, it’s that fear of people not knowing that it’s coming; not knowing what these changes are. Trying to help them navigate these steps until we get to the final launch,” Hodgson said. “I hate to hear people say, ‘Well, I didn’t know it was coming.'”
Quick facts:
• There will be two tolled lanes between Bellevue and Bothell and one tolled lane between Bothell and Lynnwood.
• There will be three general purpose lanes between Bellevue and Bothell and two general purpose lanes from Bothell to Lynnwood.
• You must get a Flex Pass to ride in the toll lanes for free, even if you have the proper number of people in your car to meet the HOV requirement.
