Project news

• On Wednesday, Aug. 21, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced the award of a design-build contract to start construction on the I-405, Renton to Bellevue Widening and Express Toll Lanes project. The contractor Flatiron West, Inc.-The Lane Construction Corporation Joint Venture submitted the apparent best value proposal of $704,975,000 to complete design and construction of the project.
• View the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the I-405, Tukwila to I-90 Vicinity Express Toll Lanes Project, published on July 5, 2018 and April 12, 2019.
• View the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the I-405, Downtown Bellevue Vicinity Express Toll Lanes Project, published on April 2, 2018 and July 17, 2018.
• This project is currently in the design phase, with construction scheduled to begin in 2020.

Why is WSDOT improving I-405 from Renton to Bellevue?
Travelers on Interstate 405 between Renton and Bellevue experience one of the state’s worst commutes. The I-405 Renton to Bellevue Widening and Express Toll Lanes project includes multimodal transportation improvements to offer more reliable travel choices and keep drivers, transit riders and freight moving.

The End Result
The Renton to Bellevue project is designed to reduce congestion and improve safety performance along one of the state’s most congested sections of highway. 

The project will add new capacity to create a two-lane express toll lane system between SR 167 in Renton and Northeast 6th Street in Bellevue. In general, the project will add one new lane in each direction. The existing HOV lane will be combined with this new lane to create a dual express toll lane system. 

The new express toll lanes will connect to the existing express toll lane system between Bellevue and Lynnwood, as well as the SR 167 HOT lanes via the I-405/SR 167 Interchange Direct Connector, to create a 40-mile system of express toll lanes. This project is designed to improve speeds and trip reliability for all travelers and support the new I-405 Bus Rapid Transit line between Lynnwood and Tukwila included in the voter-approved Sound Transit 3 package.

Project highlights

• Dual express toll lane system from SR 167 in Renton to Northeast Sixth Street in Bellevue
• New southbound auxiliary lane in the I-90 to 112th Avenue Southeast vicinity
• Improvements at interchanges, including Northeast Park Drive and Northeast 44th Street in Renton, and 112th Avenue Southeast and Coal Creek Parkway in Bellevue
• Construction of portions of the Eastside Rail Corridor regional trail, including a 2.5-mile paved section and a new crossing over I-405 in downtown Bellevue at the site of the former Wilburton rail bridge (in partnership with King County) 
• New direct access ramp and inline transit station at NE 44th Street in Renton to help support Bus Rapid Transit operations (in partnership with Sound Transit) 

Project timeline

• Summer 2015: Funded by Connecting Washington for preliminary engineering, right of way acquisition, and construction
• Aug. 21, 2019: The contractor Flatiron West, Inc.-The Lane Construction Corporation Joint Venture submitted the apparent best value proposal of $704,975,000 to complete design and construction of the project.
• 2020: Start of construction
• 2024: Open to traffic

Longer term plans for the south end of I-405

The I-405 Master Plan includes one additional general purpose lane in each direction in this section of the roadway and other associated improvements to interchanges, local roadways, noise walls and stormwater management facilities. This longer-term work is not currently funded for design or construction. 

Financial Information
The Legislature through Connecting Washington funded $1.22 billion in improvements for the south end of I-405, including the I-405/SR 167 Interchange Direct Connector project and the I-405 Renton to Bellevue Widening and Express Toll Lanes project.