After more than year-long closure, I-90 west HOV lane to reopen Friday in Factoria
Jun 10, 2025, 5:02 AM
Inside the I-90 fish passage project. (Photo: Chris Sullivan, KIRO Newsradio)
(Photo: Chris Sullivan, KIRO Newsradio)
Exciting news for drivers stuck in the daily backups on westbound I-90 into Bellevue. The HOV lane is about to reopen for the first time in over a year.
It’s been a grind heading in from Issaquah every morning and heading back into town on weekends ever since the Sunset Creek Fish Passage project got started early last year.
I-90 west HOV lane closed for Sunset Creek Fish Passage project
To make room to build several new bridges and create a large work zone, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has closed the HOV lanes in both directions in Factoria. But Friday morning, the westbound HOV lane in the area will reopen, ending that long daily backup. This reopening is seven months ahead of schedule.
“We’d like to get the traffic impacts taken care of so that we can work offline, off of the road, whether it be underneath or to the side,” WSDOT project manager Seth Belknap said.
The HOV on-ramp from 142nd will also reopen. That will give cars and buses direct access to the Bellevue Park and Ride again. The eastbound HOV lane is expected to open early next year.
“We’re looking sometime early 2026 to open the eastbound side,” Belknap said. “Work will continue underneath the bridges as we work down towards the stream elevation, and we’re on schedule to be completed with this project by the end of 2026, early 2027.”
But this great news will come with a lot of overnight pain for drivers the rest of this week.
To move the barriers and re-stripe the freeway, WSDOT will close up to three lanes in the westbound direction from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly, through Thursday. You should also expect ramp closures during these overnight hours as well.
This Sunset Creek Fish Passage project is one of the most ambitious in the state so far. Contractors are digging down more than 70 feet to restore access to the creek.
Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.
