'Major' SR 520 Construction Starting Soon: WSDOT

SEATTLE, WA - WSDOT will begin construction this spring on the "Rest of the West" project along SR 520 in Seattle, the part of the freeway between the edge of Lake Washington and I-5.

The first phase is the Montlake project, which involves building a new west approach for eastbound traffic between the Montlake neighborhood and where the floating bridge begins. Eventually, WSDOT will build a lid with a park at Montlake Avenue over SR 520.

The first change you'll notice this spring is a lane shift between Montlake and the lake. East and westbound traffic will share the north side of the bridge as WSDOT builds new eastbound lanes.

In June, the freeway transit stops under the Montlake overpass will close permanently. Those will be relocated above SR 520 at Montlake Boulevard.

And perhaps the biggest change: WSDOT will close the eastbound SR 520 on-ramp from Lake Washington Boulevard through the arboretum. To compensate, WSDOT will make "capacity improvements" at the Montlake interchange.

Have questions? WSDOT recently published a list of answers to frequently-asked questions about the Montlake project here.