I-90 drivers about to feel the ‘pain’ of fair-weather construction
May 5, 2016, 11:04 AM | Updated: 11:28 am
The state is getting around to fixing a giant hole in an overpass over I-90. (WSDOT)
(WSDOT)
Drivers who use I-90 near Issaquah are in for what could be frustrating commutes over the next few months.
The first of several construction projects began Wednesday night with a closure on Issaquah’s Front Street. Drivers should expect two more similar closures.
Related: What we’ve learned so far from Seattle’s viaduct closure
A garbage truck slammed into the underside of I-90 at Front Street last year and put a huge hole in one of the concrete girders that support the freeway. The overpass is safe, but it needs to be repaired.
“It is an eyesore,” said Lisa Van Cise with the Washington State Department of Transportation. “And if we don’t get in there and replace it at some point, over time it will deteriorate.”
Fixing the 114-foot girder will take some deft demolition. Van Cise says it’s surrounded by “perfectly great” structure.
Front Street will close again overnight on May 11-12 for demo work and replacement.
Drivers taking Front Street to I-90 will experience the brunt of the potential congestion. Surrounding surface streets may also jam up, but the freeway itself shouldn’t be impacted.
What will slow down I-90 is upcoming overnight lane closures for expansion joint and paving work between I-405 and North Bend. Crews will work on paving and repairing joints between West Sammamish Parkway and I-405 until the end of fall.
The contractor will also repave I-90 between the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River and SR 202 in North Bend. That work should be finished by the end of August.
