SEATTLE — Travelers should plan ahead and find alternate routes this weekend for trips across Lake Washington between Seattle and the eastside.
Beginning Friday night, crews will close both directions of SR 520 and all associated ramps between Interstate 5 in Seattle and 92nd Avenue Northeast in Clyde Hill.
The closure will extend from 11 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 6, to 5 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 9.
The work coincides with the Seahawk's home game. I-90 will be open, but the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) said travelers should still prepare for delays.
“So we imagine people need to take some extra time on Sunday if you’re traveling from the east side to get to the Seahawks game and really around the region. We close down one main road it just clogs up a little bit for others,” said WSDOT’s Steve Peer.
The SR 520 Trail will remain open during the weekend closure.
During the closure, crews will place 42 girders, or bridge support beams, over the highway. The beams are part of the foundation for a new 3-acre lid under construction in Seattle’s Montlake neighborhood. Crews have already installed 144 lid girders over SR 520. The girders placed this weekend will be among the last for the lid.
“Several feet of the lid will be over cars, where it didn't use to be. Monday morning, drivers can inspect the new look and feel in this area,” said Peer. “So they should be slow and intentional as they drive through.”
In the coming months, east of the lid, more girders will be placed over the highway to add a dedicated bike and pedestrian bridge connecting Lake Washington Boulevard and East Montlake Park. The landscaped bridge will be up to 73 feet wide, with a 14-foot-wide path and lookout.
The work is part of the $455 million SR 520 Montlake Project. The project also builds three new eastbound lanes over Union Bay between Montlake Boulevard and the floating bridge on Lake Washington. Work is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024.