Start planning your trip over Interstate 90 east of Snoqualmie Pass now! Several major road improvement projects will delay drivers this year as the Washington State Department of Transportation improves sections of roadway across a 50-mile stretch of I-90.

WSDOT and contractor crews will start work in the next several weeks on a number of projects that will add lanes, build bridges, repave bridge decks and repair cracked sections of pavement.

Several locations east of Snoqualmie Pass will have single-lane closures and rolling slowdowns this summer, which will add to travel time. During construction, drivers need to add at least an hour to their east-west trips, especially if trying to catch a flight or make a time-sensitive appointment.

“It’s going to be a very busy construction season on I-90 and drivers need to believe us when we say, ‘plan ahead,’” said Don Whitehouse, WSDOT regional administrator. “We’re letting you know now so you can take the surprise out of your trip and plan accordingly.”

WSDOT has a wide variety of resources to help drivers take the surprise out of their trips across I-90 this year. Drivers can find information on multiple websites, including the What’s Happening on I-90, Snoqualmie Mountain Pass and Traffic Alerts pages. Drivers can also follow us on Twitter @snoqualmiepass and @wsdot_passes or sign up for email updates.

Next week, crews resume work on a $551 million project that builds a wider, safer and more reliable stretch of I-90 from Hyak to Keechelus Dam. Later this month, crews on this five-mile-long project will resume blasting along the rock slopes east of Snoqualmie Pass. Drivers need to plan for hour-long closures, Mondays through Thursdays, starting an hour before sunset. Due to the nature of blasting operations this year, some closures may last longer than an hour.

Later this month, crews will begin deck repair on five bridges along I-90 between Easton and Ellensburg. Crews will remove a thin layer of the existing bridge deck, repair damaged concrete, reinforce the deck with steel and repave with asphalt.

Crews will also begin repaving deteriorating pavement in both directions west of Easton Hill this spring. Drivers could experience delays Monday through Friday through the work zone.

During construction, I-90 is closed to bicycles in both directions between the Hyak interchange (Exit 54) and Stampede Pass interchange (exit 62) because there is no shoulder for bicycles to use.  Bicyclists can use the John Wayne Pioneer Trail as an alternate route when weather conditions allow. Map boxes with maps are located at each interchanges to help cyclists navigate their way over the trail.