Reaching Seattle this weekend from the Eastside may require a bit more time and planning than usual for some drivers, with two of State Route 520’s westbound on-ramps temporarily closed. Eastside drivers also may need to adjust their schedules to account for the weekend closure of a key intersection along Northup Way.
The SR 520 westbound on-ramp at 84th Avenue Northeast has been closed since Tuesday while crews repair a damaged stormwater pipe running beneath the roadway. Crews are working around the clock to complete this repair as quickly as possible. In addition, the intersection at 108th Avenue Northeast and Northup Way, along with the westbound on-ramp at 108th Avenue Northeast, will be closed this weekend to accommodate a number of planned construction activities. Crews working at the intersection will install underground utility lines and drainage facilities, and remove trees for future street improvements.
“We recognize the inconvenience these closures will cause for some drivers,” said Steve Strand, project engineer for the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Eastside Transit and HOV Project. “Our crews will be working night and day to get their jobs done so we can reopen the ramps and intersection as quickly as possible.”
The on-ramp and intersection at 108th Avenue Northeast and Northup Way closed at 10 p.m. Feb. 21, and will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday. The intersection and its on-ramp will close again the weekend of March 7-10 for crews to complete the planned upgrades.
Weekend Detour Routes
Eastside drivers who since Tuesday, Feb. 18 have been using the 108th Avenue Northeast on-ramp as their detoured access to westbound SR 520 will be redirected this weekend to the Northeast 10th Street on-ramp in Bellevue. The new detour route from 84th Avenue Northeast is as follows:
- East on Northeast 24th Street to Bellevue Way.
- South on Bellevue Way to Northeast 10th Street.
- East on Northeast 10th Street to the SR 520 westbound on-ramp.
Drivers heading to Seattle from Kirkland can access SR 520 from the westbound on-ramp at Bellevue Way or from southbound I-405. Drivers travelling north on Bellevue Way cannot turn left onto that street’s westbound SR 520 on-ramp, and should use Northeast 10th Street to access SR 520.
Strand said emergency repairs to the damaged stormwater pipe at 84th Avenue Northeast are proceeding well. Crews hope to finish their work and reopen the westbound on-ramp there, he noted, within the one- to two-week window estimated earlier this week.
As a reminder, drivers may encounter traffic delays this weekend on I-5 in downtown Seattle. Contractor crews working for WSDOT are replacing deteriorated expansion joints on the freeway’s “collector-distributor,” which parallels southbound I-5’s mainline from just south of the convention center to I-90. This segment of I-5 will be reduced to one open lane from 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, Feb. 24.
Up-to-date information about SR 520 highway closures and key construction activity can be found on WSDOT’s SR 520 Orange Page.
