Westbound Interstate 90 will be reduced to a single lane 24 hours a day Sept. 19-21 in Issaquah to repair a bridge.
From 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, to 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will close the left two lanes of westbound I-90 west of Front Street North (mileposts 17 to 16), leaving one open lane for through traffic.
The Front Street on-ramp to westbound I-90 will close at the same time. A signed detour will guide people to the 270th Avenue Southeast/Southeast High Point Way on-ramp to westbound I-90.
During the lane reduction, crews will replace aging pavement and waterproof membranes on the left half of a bridge in the Issaquah area. Similar repairs were made on the left half of two other bridges Sept. 12-14 during a previous lane reduction. The work requires dry weather and may need to be rescheduled if rain is forecast.
What to expect
People traveling through the area during the around-the-clock lane reductions should plan for significant delays during busy travel times and consider alternate routes. The speed limit will be reduced to 45 mph to create a safer work zone.
People traveling through the area also should expect:
- The westbound I-90 off-ramp to SR 18/Snoqualmie Parkway to close from 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 22, to install guardrail and curbing as part of the I-90/State Route 18 Interchange Improvements project. A signed detour will loop around at Preston/Fall City (Exit 22) and use the eastbound I-90 off-ramp to SR 18/Snoqualmie Parkway.
- Eastbound I-90 to be reduced to three lanes between East Mercer Way and Bellevue Southeast (mileposts 8 to 9) from Sept. 18 to Oct. 5 to replace modular expansion joints on the East Channel Bridge. The 80th Avenue Southeast HOV ramp to eastbound I-90 also will be closed, as will the East Mercer Way on-ramp to eastbound I-90 until at least Wednesday, Sept. 24.
More westbound I-90 bridge repairs
Crews are scheduled to reduce westbound I-90 to a single lane for two more weekends to continue bridge repairs Issaquah. The first weekend is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 26-28, while the remaining repairs will be made after the Oct. 4-5 Issaquah Salmon Days festival.
The work will extend the useful life of the bridges, which were originally built in 1970 and 1971. The bridge work is part of a project already making pavement repairs along westbound I-90 in Issaquah.
[Information provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)]
