Date:  Monday, August 17, 2009

Contact: Seema Javeri, WSDOT Project Engineer, (425) 401-4126 (Bellevue)
Steve Peer, WSDOT Communications, (425) 301-2023 (Bellevue)

BELLEVUE – The Washington State Department of Transportation today thanked motorists for their patience after contractors wrapped up a long weekend of highway construction on I-405 through Bellevue.

“Traffic was a mess and we’re sorry,” said Lorena Eng, Northwest Region administrator. “We performed the work over the weekend to avoid even worse traffic headaches for weekday commuters.

“Typically, we do this kind of work at night, but because of the type of paving we were doing, we needed temperatures to be 65 degrees and warmer. That left drivers with few alternate routes and very long delays. We truly appreciate motorists’ patience.”

Northbound I-405 traffic backed up an estimated seven miles with delays topping more than two hours at times through the weekend as WSDOT’s contractor placed two test sections of quieter asphalt pavement in south Bellevue.

WSDOT has installed several miles of quieter pavement on some of Washington State's busiest highways to study how it performs in the Pacific Northwest's unique driving and climate conditions. The study tests both quieter asphalt, which contains compounds that help reduce noise, and quieter concrete, which uses surface texturing techniques to reduce noise.

The latest segment of quieter asphalt pavement installed over the weekend is the third test section in the region. The previous two test sections were installed on southbound I-5 through Lynnwood in 2006 and on SR 520 between Medina and Bellevue in 2007.

The Washington State Legislature directed WSDOT to test and report on noise mitigation efforts in King County, including the use of quieter pavement. WSDOT is scheduled to report to the Legislature in January 2010 on the performance of quieter pavement, which will include traffic impacts associated with installing quieter pavement. More information on the WSDOT quieter pavement study is found online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/QuieterPavement/.

Crews placed nearly 1.5 miles of quieter asphalt pavement in the south Bellevue area. On Saturday morning, crews reduced traffic to one lane on northbound I-405 between 112th Avenue SE and NE Eighth Street and closed several area ramps in the south Bellevue area. Crews reopened all lanes on northbound I-405 at 3:05 a.m. today, including a newly built lane from I-90 to SE Eighth Street.

More lanes are on the way to help decrease congestion and improve travel times in the south Bellevue area. This fall, crews will add a southbound carpool lane from SE Eighth Street to I-90, giving Bellevue carpoolers direct access to eastbound and westbound I-90.

The weekend paving work was a small part of a $124 million project to widen I-405 in both directions through south Bellevue. The project adds one northbound lane from 112th Avenue SE to SE Eighth Street and two southbound lanes from SE Eighth Street to I-90. For more information, go online to www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I405/112thAvetoSE8th

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