Drivers may have noticed a new eastbound State Route 520 on-ramp Friday during their morning commute.
The new temporary eastbound on-ramp peels off from Lake Washington Boulevard East and has a ramp meter that will be activated during peak traffic periods. The Washington Department of Transportation opened the ramp Friday, Dec. 20 at 5 a.m.
Crews plan to simultaneously close the existing on-ramp from the Washington Park Arboretum. The Arboretum on-ramp was originally opened in the 1960s and is vulnerable to earthquakes, WSDOT officials said. It leads to an old section of the highway that’s slated for removal.
“The removal of the old Arboretum on-ramp reduces our environmental footprint in the Arboretum area,” said Omar Jepperson, deputy administrator for the SR 520 Program. “This is a big milestone in our plan to support preservation and enhancement of the Washington Park Arboretum.”
The temporary ramp will be in service for about two years and then removed.
Before its removal, WSDOT plans to make enhancements to the Montlake Boulevard interchange and East Lake Washington Boulevard to accommodate on-ramp traffic coming from the Madison Park area.
Prior to the SR 520 bridge replacement program wrapping up in about 10 years, WSDOT plans to restore the property surrounding the project and also coordinate with Seattle Parks and Recreation to develop the Arboretum.
The work is part of the $455 million SR 520 Montlake Project to build new eastbound lanes between Montlake Boulevard and the new floating bridge, as well as a new Montlake community-connecting lid and transit hub, a bike and pedestrian bridge over SR 520 and rebuild the Montlake Boulevard interchange, WSDOT officials said.
