Drivers to get a new lane as SR 520 project reaches milestone

Commuters out of Redmond will be using a new lane on State Route 520 Monday morning. Over the weekend, WSDOT and contractor crews will move barrier and open the new westbound lane between SR 202 and West Lake Sammamish Parkway. A newly rebuilt off-ramp to West Lake Sammamish Parkway will open Monday morning.

June 25, 2010 6:23 pm

Commuters out of Redmond will be using a new lane on State Route 520 Monday morning. Over the weekend, WSDOT and contractor crews will move barrier and open the new westbound lane between SR 202 and West Lake Sammamish Parkway. A newly rebuilt off-ramp to West Lake Sammamish Parkway will open Monday morning.

The $85 million widening project is funded by the 2003 gas tax. It’s expected to increase morning commute speeds, eliminate a chronic congestion chokepoint, reduce sideswipe collisions and is part of an overall plan to improve traffic flow on SR 520 and SR 202.

“This new lane allows drivers to get up to freeway speeds before merging onto Highway 520,” said Randy Simonsen, WSDOT Engineering Manager. “This creates a much safer environment. It also improves the flow of traffic.”

This weekend PCL Construction crews will shift barrier that has been separating westbound traffic from the work zone. They’ll also stripe the roadway to link the lanes to the new off-ramp. After this weekend’s work is complete, crews will shift their focus to eastbound lanes and ramps.

The work will require the following closures:

· Friday, June 25 – Monday, June 28: Crews will close the westbound SR 520 off-ramp to West Lake Sammamish Parkway from 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Traffic will be detoured to NE 51st Street and back to eastbound SR 520.

· Friday, June 25 – Saturday, June 26: Crews will close the westbound SR 520 on-ramps from SR 202 from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday.

· Saturday, June 26: Crews will close one lane of westbound SR 520 at SR 202 from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m.

· Saturday, June 26 – Sunday, June 27: Crews will close all lanes of westbound SR 520 from Avondale/Union Hill Road to West Lake Sammamish Parkway from 10 p.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday. Traffic will be detoured to Bear Creek Parkway and Leary Way.

This is the latest in a series of improvements on SR 520 and SR 202 in Redmond. This past March crews opened a new eastbound SR 520 on-ramp from West Lake Sammamish Parkway. In 2008, crews widened three miles of SR 202 from SR 520 to Sahalee Way and opened a flyover ramp that eliminated the left turn for drivers going from SR 202 to SR 520.

When the SR 520 widening project is wrapped up late this year, drivers will have a new HOV lane and a merge lane in each direction of SR 520 between SR 202 and West Lake Sammamish Parkway.