Sound Transit contractors will have to close portions of I-405 in Bellevue over the next two weekends as crews remove temporary support structures from the new light rail bridge.
Ramp and lane closures this weekend, with more closures the following weekend, will cause traffic delays throughout the region.
Here's a summary of how the weekends will go:
The biggest impacts are likely to be on Sunday, Aug. 11, when the main southbound lanes will close, followed by the main northbound lanes on Sunday, Aug. 18.
Sound Transit worked closely with the City of Bellevue and WSDOT to mitigate the impact for drivers, but we’re advising everyone to plan ahead, allow extra time to reach your destination and consider using alternate routes through downtown Bellevue.
Taking public transit, carpooling, walking or biking may be good options to consider during these weekend closures.
See WSDOT’s blog post for more details on traffic impacts and Bellevue's website for information on alternate routes.
You can also read our press release and project update for more information on the closures.
Without the weekend closures, it would have taken contractor crews more than 20 weeks of nighttime work to remove the falsework on the bridge.
Progress connecting the Eastside with light rail
As we noted earlier this year, construction on the Blue Line is more than 50 percent complete.
Environmental work along East Link has been moving along at the same time as we’ve been digging tunnels, building guideways and installing rail.
Since construction kicked off in June 2017, crews have made significant progress, and it’s getting easier to visualize the final product.
East Link will connect the Eastside with Seattle’s light rail system and open in 2023. By the end of this year, it will be possible to walk the entire 14-mile route on the new guideway.