An extended weekend-long closure of westbound State Route 18 will begin 9 p.m. Thursday, April 30, to begin a second week of final paving work for the Interstate 90/SR 18 Interchange Improvements and Widening project. People traveling in the Snoqualmie area should plan ahead and allow extra time to reach their destination or use alternate routes.
Additionally, the westbound I-90 ramp to westbound SR18/Snoqualmie Parkway and the two right lanes of the eastbound I-90 ramp to westbound SR 18 will close during the westbound SR 18 full closure. People should plan for increased congestion and delays near the I-90/SR 18 interchange and Preston/Fall City and High Point Way exits during this time.
What to expect
From 9 p.m. Thursday, April 30, to 5 a.m. Monday, May 4, westbound SR 18 will close between I-90 and Issaquah-Hobart Road. During this closure, contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will pave nearly 2 miles of westbound SR 18.
A single lane of westbound SR 18 closed on Tuesday, April 28 between I-90 (milepost 28) and Deep Creek (milepost 25) so crews can remove guardrail and concrete barriers ahead of paving.
Detour route
Travelers will not be able to access Snoqualmie Parkway or the Southeast 104th Street neighborhood from westbound I-90. A signed detour will take drivers westbound on I-90, looping around to eastbound I-90 at Southeast High Point Way (exit 20) then use the off-ramp to westbound SR 18/Snoqualmie Parkway.
To help keep traffic moving, the Preston/Fall City exit on westbound I-90 should be used primarily by local traffic. Drivers can save time by using the signed detour at Southeast High Point Way or by continuing along westbound I-90 and using I-405 or I-5 as alternate routes.
Additional weekend closures planned
The April 30 – May 4 work on westbound SR 18 represents the second of multiple weekend-long closures for the I-90/SR 18 Interchange Improvements project. All closures depend on warmer dry weather and can be rescheduled if rain is in the forecast.
There are four planned weekend-long ramp closures at the I-90/SR 18 interchange including:
- 9 p.m. Friday, May 8, the off-ramp from eastbound I-90 to westbound SR 18/Snoqualmie Parkway will close through 5 a.m. Monday, May 11.
- 9 p.m. Friday, May 15, the on-ramp from eastbound/westbound SR 18 (Snoqualmie Parkway) to eastbound I-90 will close through 5 a.m. Monday, May 18.
An additional extended weekend full closure of SR 18 under I-90 with all right-turning ramps open is also planned along with a weekend-long sequence of rolling closures to apply final striping throughout the project area. Dates for these closures will be announced when they are scheduled.
Real-time traffic information is available on the WSDOT mobile app and the real-time travel map.
[Information and featured image provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)]
