Date:  Friday, March 19, 2010

Contact: Mike Murphy, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4699

One of many changes designed to improve safety and ease congestion

Update: The new ramp opened to traffic early at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, March 21.

REDMOND – A new on-ramp opening Monday morning will mean a safer drive on SR 520 in Redmond. Crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will open the new eastbound SR 520 on-ramp from West Lake Sammamish Parkway to give drivers more distance to merge onto the freeway. It’s also expected to ease congestion in the area, particularly during the afternoon commute.

“Before we built this new ramp, drivers had to merge into freeway traffic very quickly,” said Engineering Manager Randy Simonsen. “The new ramp gives them much more time to get up to speed.”

The ramp is part of a project to widen SR 520 between West Lake Sammamish Parkway and SR 202 in Redmond. In addition to building a new HOV lane and merge lane in each direction, crews also are rebuilding the ramps at the West Lake Sammamish Parkway interchange to improve safety and ease congestion. The $105 million project is funded by the 2003 Gas Tax.

Starting Monday drivers will access the new ramp from West Lake Sammamish Parkway at the same location as the existing ramp, but will be directed onto the newly paved portion.

Weekend construction closures
Crews will spend this weekend paving the new ramp. The work will require a total closure of eastbound SR 520 between West Lake Sammamish Parkway and SR 202 overnight on Friday and Saturday. The West Lake Sammamish Parkway on-ramp to eastbound SR 520 and the eastbound SR 520 off-ramp to SR 202/Redmond Way also will be closed around the clock from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Signed detours will be in place and uniformed police officers will direct traffic at key intersections.

Once this weekend’s work is complete, PCL Construction crews will focus on finishing the new westbound SR 520 off-ramp at West Lake Sammamish Parkway. This project, which began in April 2009, is ahead of schedule thanks to a relatively dry winter. Crews are now on pace to open the new lanes in late 2010 instead of early 2011.

For more information please visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/SR520/WLakeSamPk_SR202/.

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