Community Corner

520 Bridge Weekend Closure Expects to Open on Time Monday Morning

With east-west traffic relegated mostly to the I-90 bridge to the south, the 520 bridge closure expects to cause significant traffic delays over Father's Day weekend.

The Washington State Department of Transportation said Saturday that State Route 520 Floating Bridge construction work over the Father's Day weekend is on schedule and expects to re-open the eastbound and westbound lanes first thing Monday morning. 

The 30-foot deep culvert, the first of eight that the city plans on installing to improve fish migration, is expected to be fully dug and paved by the 5 a.m. Monday deadline that WSDOT has announced to the public.

The other seven culverts will be dug between Medina and Bellevue over the next three years. Each culvert will be 130-feet wide, according to the WSDOT release.

Find out what's happening in Bellevuewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The construction crew for the 520 bridge closure has just the weekend to finish work on the culvert in order for the highway to be available for Monday's morning commute.

The $306 million project, that the bridge closure is just a small part of, aims to create a new Eastside Corridor that will be widen the 520 bridge to a total of six lanes by Christmas 2013.

Find out what's happening in Bellevuewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The project is limited to just 20 weekend closures over the next three years in order to prevent consistent traffic congestion as a result of the construction work.

WSDOT has also said that they expect the mid-afternoon periods of Saturday June 18 and Sunday June 19 to be the most traffic heavy periods this weekend.

Major events that may add to traffic delays include the Fremont Solstice Parade Saturday and two Mariners games vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at Safeco Field on both Saturday and Sunday.

From a release WSDOT sent to the media June 14:

“Whether you’re headed to the Mariners’ games, the Fremont Solstice Parade and Fair or celebrating Father’s Day, we’re asking drivers to plan ahead for major traffic delays on all Puget Sound highways,” said Brian Dobbins, WSDOT construction engineer.

The project will cause closures between the I-405 and Montlake Boulevard, causing traffic congestion throughout the area. Consequently, the I-90, the I-405 and the I-5 are all expected to see heavier-than-usual traffic build up as drivers take alternate routes around the 520 construction. 

According to Dobbins, who is also the construction manager for the SR 520 and HOB Construction Project, Key alternate routes for drivers heading into Seattle from the south end include SR 509, SR 599, East Marginal Way South, Airport Way South and Fourth Avenue South. 

Dobbins also said that residents near the construction area should expect noise from the work and machinery. and that work at night is likely this weekend. 

According to a release from Jeff Switzer, WSDOT 520 Project Communications Liaison, I-5 and I-90 express lanes will work under expanded schedules in order to accommodate the heavier traffic. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Bellevue