Date:  Monday, August 11, 2008

Contact: Steve Peer, WSDOT Communications, (425) 301-2023 (Bellevue)
Stacy Trussler, I-405 Deputy Project Director, (206) 437-4870 (Bellevue)

BELLEVUE – Southbound I-405 between SE 8th Street and the I-405/I-90 interchange opened to traffic at 4 a.m. this morning after highway crews worked around the clock over the weekend to remove a section of the Wilburton Tunnel.

Crews closed southbound I-405 between SE 8th Street and the I-405/I-90 interchange at 11 p.m. Friday, August 8. Crews used bulldozers, front-end loaders, dump trucks along with six hydraulic excavators with specialty attachments such as breakers and crunchers to remove roughly 5,000 tons of concrete and 180 feet of the 360 foot-long bridge.

Crews will use the next two weekends, Aug. 15-18 and Aug 22-25, to remove the rest of the Wilburton Tunnel. Southbound I-405 will be closed at 11 p.m. each Friday night and open 5 a.m. each Monday morning.

In addition to the demolition work, crews used the total closure of the highway to retrofit several sections of I-405 and re-stripe the roadway. Crews are using this time prepare for the completion of the new bridge over I-90. During the first and second weekend closures, crews will work to pave the approach and build a new section of highway that will eventually be used shift traffic onto the new bridge over I-90.

Drivers should slow down, use caution and pay close attention to signage while familiarizing themselves with the new changes on southbound I-405 in Bellevue. We are asking drivers to “Give ‘em a Brake” in active work zones or when they see maintenance workers. To read more facts and tips on driving through work zones, please visit WSDOT's "Give 'Em A Brake" Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Safety/Brake/.

For project information on the I-405, South Bellevue Widening Project please visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/i405/112thAvetoSE8th/

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