Traffic Payout

by guest blogger Steve Peer

Crews will close northbound I-405 this weekend. When the freeway open Monday morning it will be a new day and new way in Bellevue.

You may recall we were going to close northbound I-405 last weekend. Then we didn’t close it. It wasn’t a trick – the weather forecast just didn’t cooperate.
So now what?  Here’s what you need to know:

1. We intend to close northbound I-405 again this weekend.
2. The work requires dry weather because of the paving and restriping. If that doesn’t work, we’ll shoot for Oct. 8-9.
3. When the freeway re-opens Monday morning, drivers will use new ramps to get from Bellevue to Seattle, Kirkland and Redmond.  

If the weather cooperates, drivers should prepare for a northbound I-405 53 hour weekend closure in Bellevue, starting at 11 p.m. Friday.  When the freeway reopens at 4 a.m. Monday, drivers will take new ramps to I-405 and SR 520 in Bellevue. It will be a big change for drivers headed northbound on I-405 through Bellevue.
We’ll have more than 200 new signs in and around Bellevue showing the way to go, but it may take you a few days to adjust to the change. If you slip up, you may end up in Kirkland when you wanted to go to Redmond.

Bottom Line: Come Monday, here’s how to navigate north out of Bellevue:

• Going to SR 520? Use NE 10th Street. Drivers will no longer have access to SR 520 from NE Eighth Street.
• Headed to I-405? Use NE Eighth Street. Drivers will use a longer ramp to reach northbound I-405.
• Mainline drivers should prepare to exit to SR 520 earlier from northbound I-405.

The new ramps, part of the $107.5 million Bellevue Braids Project, will improve traffic flow in Bellevue