Traffic snarl this weekend from Bellevue to Renton

Travel from Bellevue to Renton will be difficult this weekend as two construction projects will impede traffic.

Southbound I-405 will be closed in Bellevue for the removal of the Wilburton Tunnel. Crews on I-405 in Renton also will be working around the clock this weekend to shift southbound traffic onto a new bridge over Oakesdale Avenue SW.

“There has been extensive media coverage and notification to the public regarding the Wilburton Tunnel closure on southbound I-405 in Bellevue,” said WSDOT Project Engineer, Lisa Hodgson. “WSDOT determined that coordinating the timing of the lane and ramp closures in Renton with the Wilburton Tunnel closure may minimize the inconvenience to the traveling public.”

Drivers heading southbound on I-405 to Renton and Tukwila should plan a little extra time for their trips and check the WSDOT Web site and call 511 for up to date traffic information. Drivers also should keep the southbound I-405 closure in Bellevue from Southeast Eighth Street to the I-90/I-405 interchange in mind when planning their trips.

In the Renton area, from Friday night to Sunday afternoon crews will close the southbound SR 167 to southbound I-405 ramp and one to two lanes on southbound I-405 between SR 169 and SR 181. The lane and ramp closures are a necessary step to shift traffic onto the new southbound I-405 bridge over Oakesdale Avenue SW and Springbrook Creek.

Once the southbound traffic is shifted to the new bridge, construction crews will build the northbound I-405 portion of the bridge. Drivers also will notice that once traffic is shifted to the new bridge the southbound I-405 lanes will be higher than the northbound I-405 lanes.

The work and closures are weather dependent and will be rescheduled for the next available dry weekend.

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