Weekend-long closure of SR 520 floating bridge starts Friday night
BELLEVUE, Wash. - Hockey fans and Seattle-bound travelers need to think twice about how they’ll get around this weekend.
The SR-520 bridge will have closures in both directions between I-5 and the 92nd Avenue exit in Bellevue beginning 11 p.m. Friday through Monday morning. On Saturday, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced that eastbound lanes will be open between I-5 in Seattle and Montlake Blvd., but will remain closed from there to 92nd Ave. NE in Clyde Hill.
According to the WSDOT, this 54-hour closure is to give crews time to put in some large support beams on a brand-new bicycle and pedestrian pathway. All the heavy lifting is going to create traffic tie-ups on I-90 and I-5, but WSDOT said this is a major milestone for the bridge project and a big safety improvement.
"When we place that 37th girder, it'll actually be the 513th and final girder in the Montlake project," said Steve Peer, WSDOT spokesperson. "So, we are really excited to have that done."
Others are excited to see the project progress, especially those who live nearby.
"I know it's been a really long time," said Ava Hannah, a Medina resident. "It's been multiple years that they've been working on it."
The work happening this weekend will allow WSDOT to add more space for bikers and walkers, as well as add more greenery around the area.
"It'll be about 73-feet wide, on its widest part, but the trail will only be 14 feet," Peer said. "So, there'll be a lot of greenery on either side. Different than just a bike bridge that goes over a highway, this will be a green space as well."
The project is designed to make it safer for anyone traveling without a car.
"They don't need to mix in with Montlake Boulevard and about 60,000 vehicles that move north and south on that every day," Peer said.
This improvement takes people out of the congestion.
SR 520 floating bridge, Trail will be closed for construction work this weekend
The bridge will be closed in both directions between I-5 and 92nd Avenue Northeast, and during the closure the SR 520 Trail will also be closed.
The project has been going on so long, it almost feels like a permanent fixture to some neighbors and drivers. This progress, however, is the light at the end of the tunnel they’ve been hoping for.
"I'm definitely looking forward to it because I definitely got a little confused, like when I had to just go around the construction to get on the bridge," said Ashley McKinstry, a local runner. "So, that'll be awesome."
"I think it's making it more effective by adding those, by adding those little areas that people can either drive on or walk on - stuff like that," Hannah said. "It's nice that there is that big side on it that people can walk down. It's like a safer area, knowing that there is a big cement wall."
For one nearby business, the closure may actually help sales.
FOX 13 News spoke to a worker at Burbs, which has a front-row view to cranes and hard hats. Lunch rush can be busy with workers.
"Sometimes, we do over 100 tickets," said Yesenia Reyes, a Burbs employee. "I mean, yeah, those are pretty big orders."
But Saturdays and Sundays can get slow when they have the day off.
This weekend, however, they're ready to serve construction crews.
"We're looking forward to that and also happy to be here for them," Reyes said.
According to WSDOT, they expect the completion of the bike and pedestrian lanes around this December or the beginning of next year. There are also plans to add a covered green space in Montlake.