520 Construction Updates
Last Update:  18 February 2012

The Town of Hunts Point posts updates on SR-520 Construction that may be of concern to our residents. For the latest and most complete updates on SR-520 Construction from the Washington State Dept. of Transportation (WSDOT), please visit:
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR520Bridge/MedinaTo202/MedinatoSR202Construction

February 18, 2012

 

On February 24-27 Eastside Corridor Constructors (ECC) and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will close the SR 520 floating bridge and highway to set concrete girders over SR 520 at Bellevue Way and 84th Avenue Northeast and complete other time-sensitive construction activities. Here are the details of the closure: 
 

·         Date: February 24-27

·         When: The floating bridge, highway and all ramps will close at 11 p.m. on Friday. All ramps, the floating bridge and highway will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday morning.

·         Where: Both directions of SR520 and all ramps between Montlake Boulevard and I-405, except for the eastbound entrance from 108th Avenue N.E.. SR 520 will remain open between Montlake Boulevard and I-5.

 
Other work over this weekend will be at Evergreen Point Road and 92nd Avenue Northeast where we will be setting pre-cast concrete bridge deck panels, while at several locations along the corridor we will be performing drainage culvert installation.
 
We’ll also be doing some mainline pavement improvements by milling and replacing approximately 1,500 feet asphalt pavement between Evergreen Point Road and just east of the 84th Avenue bridge. Nearby residents may hear the sounds of the pavement milling machine, trucks, backup alarms, paving machinery, and light generators. This work is weather dependent and may be canceled in case of rain.
 
ECC and the WSDOT thank you for your patience and help reducing backups during our previous weekend closures of the SR 520 floating bridge and highway, and we need your help again this month. With thousands of vehicles traveling this route on a typical weekend, we need drivers to take alternate routes, avoid the area unless you have to go to the Eastside or Seattle and plan for added travel time and delays. We also suggest using carpools and transit.
 
Please help spread the word about this closure and post to your websites, social media sites and blogs. This is one of several weekend closures of SR 520 this year, including one next month over the weekend of March 9-12. Details will be posted on our website. 
 
This work is part of the $306 million SR 520 Eastside Transit and HOV Project that will improve safety, access and reliability in the corridor when complete in 2013. If you’d like to see photos of the work crews accomplished during previous weekend closures please visit WSDOT’s flickr site
 
Please contact me with any questions or call the project hotline at: 425-998-5200.
 
 
Dan Galvin
Public Information Manager
(425) 998-5136
ECC 1.jpg

 

 

February 10, 2012

Click here to view information about the closing of the Fairweather Basin trail.  Also, please read the latest Town newsletter and this flyer for more information about SR520 construction activities.

January 30, 2012
ECC 4-Week Construction Schedule

Click here to view details regarding ECC's construction schedule for the next four weeks, beginning 1/30/2012.

January 27, 2012
Email update from Mayor McConkey

Click here to read the email update Mayor McConkey recently sent to Hunts Points residents.  Of special note is the postponement of the weekend closure originally planned for Feb 10 - 13.  That closure will now happen over the weekend of Friday Feb. 24 through Monday Feb. 27.  Please read the email for more information.

January 22, 2012
ECC 4-Week Construction Schedule

Click here to view details regarding ECC's construction schedule for the next four weeks, beginning 1/23/2012.

January 19, 2012
Upcoming Weekend Closures

WSDOT has plans for two weekend closures in February:  Friday Feb. 10 to Monday Feb. 13 and Friday Feb. 24 to Monday Feb. 27.  Please use the link above to learn what work will occur during these planned closures.  We will update information about these closures as they are confirmed.

January 9, 2012 
Lane and ramp closures

  • Monday, Jan. 9 to the morning of Friday, Jan. 13 - Crews will close two lanes of westbound SR 520 at 84th Avenue Northeast nightly from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. for pier work. The on-ramp from 84th Avenue Northeast will also be closed at that time.
  • Monday, Jan. 9 to the morning of Friday, Jan. 13 - Crews will close a single lane in both directions of SR 520 at Evergreen Point Road nightly from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. for pier work.
  • WEEKEND COMPLETE CLOSURE: Friday, Jan. 13 to the morning of Monday, Jan. 16 - Crews will close all lanes and ramps on SR 520 between I-405 and Montlake Boulevard from 11 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday for work on the Evergreen Point Road lid and 92nd Avenue Northeast.
  • HEADS UP: FULL HIGHWAY CLOSURES are also planned for Feb. 10-13 and Feb. 24-27 to set girders at 84th Avenue Northeast and Bellevue Way Northeast and to remove the Evergreen Point Road bridge - after traffic has been shifted to the new lid currently under construction.

December 9, 2011

Beginning Sunday, December 11, a new ramp meter will regulate traffic on the HOV lane entrance to westbound SR 520 at 84th Avenue Northeast. That means HOV drivers will have to wait for a green light to enter westbound SR 520 just as single occupant vehicles do now in the general purpose lane.  Detector loops are being placed in the transit lane on Saturday, which will keep the ramp meter signals red when they detect an approaching bus. After the bus passes the ramp meter signal will turn green, allowing ramp traffic to enter the highway. Remember to look to the left as you pull away from the ramp meter and make sure the lane is clear before you enter. Once you reach highway speed you can merge out of the bus lane into the general purpose lanes, as you normally would.
 
Construction of the lid at the 84th Avenue Northeast bridge required a recent traffic shift that combined into the same lane westbound SR 520 transit traffic with traffic entering the highway from 84th Avenue. The new ramp meter and loop detector system will help improve the merge for both transit and passenger vehicles.          
 
This work is all part of a $306 million project to add HOV and transit capacity, build lids at three crossings and make other safety improvements to SR 520 between the floating bridge and 108th Avenue Northeast. Project completion is scheduled for the end of 2013.  Check out our webpage: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR520Bridge/MedinaTo202/default.htm
 
 Dan Galvin
Public Information Manager
(425) 998-5136
 
 
November 18, 2011
As you may know, ECC and WSDOT recently made temporary changes to the westbound 84th Avenue Northeast entrance ramp and the SR 520 HOV/transit lane to build the new 84th Avenue Northeast lid. Our goal is to keep traffic flowing on 84th Avenue and SR 520 while the lid is under construction. In order to build a support wall for the new lid, crews recently created a median work zone near 84th Avenue, which leaves less space for mainline vehicles and those entering SR 520 from the 84th Avenue on-ramp. As a result, we have a number of competing interests in a narrow corridor.
 
We ask drivers entering westbound SR 520 from 84th Avenue Northeast to look to the left as you pull away from the ramp meter and make sure the lane is clear before you enter. It is your responsibility to yield to buses already in the lane, even after the ramp meter turns green. Once you reach highway speed you can merge out of the bus lane into the general purpose lanes, as you normally would.
 
You may be wondering why we made this temporary change. We didn't want to close the HOV/transit lane completely, so we re-designated it for buses only west of 92nd Avenue Northeast. Carpools, vanpools and motorcycles are required to merge into the general purpose lanes east of the new median work zone-about a half-mile sooner than they did before the change-to make room for drivers entering the highway at the 84th Avenue on-ramp. Buses are permitted to use the right lane, though with a reduced speed limit of 40 miles per hour.
 
By removing carpools, vanpools and motorcycles from the right lane, and requiring buses to slow down, we see large enough gaps to keep traffic flowing on the 84th Avenue on-ramp, and we can accomplish this without forcing buses into the general purpose lanes.
This configuration will be in place until spring 2012, when we complete the lid support wall. Although the HOV merge point is in a new location, electronic and static signs, and in-lane markings alert HOV-lane drivers of the upcoming merge. We anticipate that drivers will soon become accustomed to the temporary configuration.
 
In the meantime, we are working with the Washington State Patrol to increase carpool lane enforcement efforts in this area. We have also coordinated with King County Metro so their drivers are aware of the new speed limit.
 
Please contact me with any questions or comments and thank you for your cooperation and patience as we construct the 84th Avenue Northeast lid. And feel free to visit our website for the latest project information: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR520Bridge/MedinaTo202.
 
Dan Galvin
Public Information Manager
(425) 998-5136