Date:
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Contact:
Mike Murphy, WSDOT Communications, 206-437-6314
SAMMAMISH - Today, more than thirty people, including workers, local leaders and very satisfied commuters, joined Gov. Christine Gregoire and Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond to celebrate the opening of the SR 202 widening project east of Redmond.
As part of this work, crews:
- widened nearly three miles of SR 202 between SR 520 and Sahalee Way
- built a flyover ramp connecting westbound SR 202 to westbound SR 520
- added noise walls, bike lanes, sidewalks
- realigned intersections
- improved lighting and coordinated signals
- built one of the largest wetlands in Washington State
“This project is amazing,” said Johnna Jones, a commuter who wrote to WSDOT back in April when the first new lanes started to open. Today, in person, Jones praised the project, spelling out the difference the work has made in her life.
“The road improvements have given me more time and a less stressful commute. I do not have to wake up so early to get to work on time. I don't purposefully work late so that I can leave after the worst of the traffic has passed. I don't have to be frustrated about just sitting in a long line of cars, not going anywhere! Who wants to start or end their day grumpy because of traffic? “
Before the project, drivers making the three-mile commute sat in stop-and-go traffic for up to 45 minutes. Frequent rear-end collisions added to the snarled traffic. Today’s commute can be as quick as three minutes before 7:30 a.m. and up to 10 minutes between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.
Gov. Gregoire noted the $96 million work was done nearly a year early and that probably contributed to commuter happiness.
Jones was not the only commuter to express her gratitude. Susie and Bob Keith have lived in the area since 1981. They were not only excited to thank the WSDOT and Tri-State contractor crews in person today, but also talked about the lack of congestion while the four-year-long project was under way.
“When I heard this work was going to start, I was worried,” said Susie Keith. Her husband picked up her thread. “But we traveled through the area every day, two times a day, and we were never delayed. We were really impressed with that.”
Redmond Mayor John Marchione and Sammamish Mayor Lee Fellinge echoed her compliments.
Added environmental benefits
Today’s event took place at the corner of SR 202 and Sahalee Way, the site of a 13-acre wetland, one of the largest in the state. As part of their environmental mitigation work, crews turned the old marsh filled with couches, car parts and refrigerators into an award-winning wetland filled with 37,000 native trees, grasses and shrubs to clean the water that travels to Evans Creek. Soon, salmon will return to the area. Local eagles have already been seen perched on the tall trees.
“This is such a joy to drive by,” said Keith.
It’s all part of WSDOT’s promise to keep drivers moving and do our best to leave areas in better condition than we find them.
Hammond wrapped up the event by talking about what’s next for these drivers.
“We fix the chokepoints and bottlenecks first,” explained Hammond. “We fixed intersections on SR 202, widened this road and built the flyover ramp. In the spring of 2009, we move to SR 520 where we will build HOV lanes between West Lake Sammamish Parkway and SR 202. That’s four miles of new lanes in each direction. It will improve the evening commute for these residents the same way we improved the morning commute.”
For more information about this work, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR202/SR520_Sahalee/
To learn more about the future SR 520 work, go to: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR520/WLakeSamPk_SR202/
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