New I-90 HOV lane from Mercer Island to Bellevue now open

Commuters have a better option today for passing heavy traffic on I-90 from Mercer Island to Bellevue with the opening of a new, 24-hour HOV lane.

March 29, 2012 7:43 pm

 

Commuters have a better option today for passing heavy traffic on I-90 from Mercer Island to Bellevue with the opening of a new, 24-hour HOV lane.

The opening marks completion of the second stage of a project to maintaining traffic flow across Lake Washington. The final phase of the project will culminate in full-time HOV lanes in both directions of I-90 between Bellevue and Seattle.

“Adding these HOV lanes will make I-90 safer, smoother and better equipped to move more people in fewer cars,” said state Deputy Transportation Secretary Dave Dye.

When WSDOT opened the I-90 reversible express lanes more than 20 years ago, Dye added, they served traffic well because rush hour was 50 percent heavier westbound to Seattle in the morning and back to the Eastside in the evening. Today, traffic is heavy in both directions and peak periods last about an hour longer, so dedicated lanes for carpools and transit are necessary in both directions at all times to operate I-90 efficiently.

Not only will the project help ease traffic by making ridesharing a other modes better options, but also make way for construction of light rail from Seattle to Bellevue and Redmond.

The first phase of the I-90 Two-Way Transit and HOV Operations project, completed in 2008, added a 24-hour HOV lane on westbound I-90 between Bellevue and Mercer Island. The third and final phase will extend full-time HOV lanes in both directions between Mercer Island and Seattle.

Once the full project is complete, Sound Transit will expand its East Link light rail construction onto the center lanes of I-90 and the floating bridge. The new lanes that WSDOT and Sound Transit are building on I-90 will enable preservation of the existing number of general purpose and HOV lanes when the center lanes close to traffic.

The second phase of the I-90 Two-Way Transit and HOV Operations Project was completed on time and within its $17.1 million construction budget. The total estimated cost of the three-phase project is approximately $256 million. Sound Transit is contributing approximately $216 million.