WSDOT to close major routes for maintenance this weekend

The upcoming "monster" closures on SR 520 and Montlake Boulevard will lead to significant progress in the project, which is on track to finish early next year. Graphic courtesy WSDOT

SEATTLE: Closures on SR 520, Montlake Boulevard started Friday July 14

People will encounter what we’re calling “monster” roadway closures on and around State Route 520 in Seattle starting Friday night, July 14, 2023.

Early warning: It’s not going to be pretty. In a nutshell, we’re closing parts of the SR 520 bridge across Lake Washington for two weekends in a row (July 14-17 and 21-24). Moreover, we’re closing Montlake Boulevard, one of Seattle’s busiest streets, during that entire 10-day stretch.

Why is this happening?

We’re aiming to complete the SR 520 Montlake Project early next year. This is a major phase of SR 520’s ongoing reconstruction between Interstate 5 in Seattle and I-405 on the east side of Lake Washington. The Montlake Project’s final stages, unavoidably, require several significant closures.

We know these closures are tough. The good news is drivers will see significant progress at the end of this “monster closure.” We’ll straighten Montlake Boulevard into its final north-south alignment. We’ll also open two new SR 520 on-ramps from Montlake: one westbound and one eastbound. The eastbound on-ramp will link to a new, three-lane eastbound bridge between Montlake and the SR 520 floating bridge. (We like to call the new eastbound span the world’s longest on-ramp to the world’s longest floating bridge.)

Even more exciting is that drivers will see a new, landscaped lid over SR 520 by early 2024. More details on the closures can be found in our blog.

Second weekend SR 520 closure, July 21-24

It’s a busy summer construction season and it means there will be times where work has to stack and its unavoidable.

Both directions of SR 520 will close again from 11pm Friday, July 21, through 5am Monday, July 24. The SR 520 Trail across the lake will remain open for both weekend closures.

Southbound travelers on Interstate 5 will need to plan for potential delays on their trips during an around-the-clock closure of the far-left lane of southbound I-5 near State Route 520 which began at 9pm Friday, July 14. The lane closure will last until 5am Monday, July 17

Limited access to eastbound SR 520

From 9pm on July 14 to 9am on July 15, southbound I-5 drivers will be able to access eastbound SR 520 using the normal exit. One lane of eastbound SR 520 will be open and all eastbound drivers will need to pay the SR 520 Bridge Toll due to the Montlake Boulevard exit being closed.

Drivers will not be able to take eastbound I-90 between 11:59pm on July 14 and 7am on July 15 due to scheduled maintenance in the tunnel.

At 9am on July 15, eastbound SR 520 will fully close but eastbound I-90 will be back open.