Photo courtesy of Seattle Department of Transportation
Construction crews are making headway on the Washington Department of Transportation’s $68 million SR 520 I-5 Express Lanes Connection Project in Seattle.
The Walsh Group is making steady progress on the Washington Department of Transportation's SR 520 I-5 Express Lanes Connection Project.
Currently, construction crews are rebuilding and realigning the ramps to southbound I-5, northbound I-5 and Roanoke Street to make room for a reversible ramp connecting SR 520 to the I-5 express lanes.
Photo courtesy of Seattle Department of Transportation
"The Walsh Group is extending SR 520's new transit/HOV system onto Interstate 5," the contractor said in a statement. "Work includes construction of 23 retaining walls; five ramps [full depth replacement of the roadway cross section, utilities and walls]; a new, three-span steel girder bridge; and reconfiguring an existing southbound off-ramp to be reversible [full depth replacement, alignment adjustment, concrete barriers and soldier pile walls]."
This project — valued at $68 million — is extending SR 520's new transit/HOV system to I-5 by providing a dedicated, reversible connection between SR 520 and the I-5/Mercer Street interchange via the I-5 express lanes. The new reversible lane will work in concert with the I-5 express lanes. When the I-5 express lanes are operating in the northbound direction, the new ramp will connect to eastbound SR 520. The new ramp will connect westbound SR 520 vehicles to the I-5 express lanes when they are operating in the southbound direction.
This project is part of the $2 billion in SR 520 improvements from Lake Washington to I-5 — the "Rest of the West." These improvements are funded by the 2015 Connecting Washington and 2022 Move Ahead Washington transportation legislation packages.
Overall, the project encompasses:
- Building a new, reversible transit/HOV ramp between SR 520 and the I-5 express lanes;
- Restriping I-5 express lanes to retain the four existing lanes while adding a reversible transit/HOV lane between the I-5/SR 520 interchange and Mercer Street;
- Modifying an existing ramp for reversible operations between the I-5 express lanes and Mercer Street.
This project is on track for a spring 2024 completion.
"When complete, this project will provide a reliable transit link between the region's major employment centers in Seattle's South Lake Union and the Eastside via SR 520," said Program Administrator Omar Jepperson.
Project Need
Over the last decade, Seattle's population and employment boomed, especially in the South Lake Union neighborhood. At the same time, the Eastside's technology-driven cities continued to see rapid growth. These two factors underscore the importance of a safe, reliable transit/HOV link between Seattle and the Eastside via SR 520. This project addresses this issue by creating a direct bus and carpool connection from SR 520 to South Lake Union and downtown Seattle.
This project is a central part of the larger, ongoing SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program to reconstruct the SR 520 corridor from I-405 in Bellevue to I-5 in Seattle. We've already completed several phases of the program, including:
- Floating Bridge and Landings Project: Built the world's longest floating bridge across Lake Washington between Seattle and the Eastside, and constructed the bridge's 44 smaller pontoons in Tacoma.
- Pontoon Construction Project: Built the floating bridge's 33 largest pontoons in Tacoma and Aberdeen, Washington.
- Eastside Transit and HOV Project: Rebuilt the highway's Eastside segment between I-405 and Lake Washington's east shore.
- West Approach Bridge North Project: Completed the first of two parallel west approach bridges over Union Bay, between the floating bridge and Seattle's Montlake neighborhood.
The Montlake Project, currently under construction, is completing the second of two parallel west approach bridges over Union Bay. This project includes building a new landscaped lid over the highway, and a bicycle and pedestrian bridge to the east of the lid.
When the corridor's reconstruction is fully completed in the late 2020s:
- All of SR 520's major bridges will be replaced with stronger structures.
- The bus/carpool lanes and a regional bicycle and pedestrian path will extend from Seattle east to Redmond
- Travelers will have safer on and off-ramps and improved connections to transit, local streets, and local and regional trail networks.
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