Agreement reached on west side options

The Washington State Department of Transportation will share the latest plans for the SR 520 bridge replacement with the public at an open house next week in Bellevue. The new plans are a result of the mediation process on the west side of Lake Washington and collaboration with the Eastside communities.

The meeting will be from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, June 25 at Bellevue City Hall, 450 110th Ave. N.E. A presentation will be made at 5:30 p.m.

Agreement on options for the west side of the corridor is the first important milestone of mediation. Next the group will develop a project impact plan, which is due to the governor and Legislature at the end of the year. Selecting a west side plan at the end of the year will allow the project to complete the environmental review and engineering plans.

The plan on the east side of the corridor, from Lake Washington to 108th Avenue Northeast, is progressing into more detailed design including transit improvements, community connections with transit stops, new bicycle and pedestrian paths, and noise walls.

At the open houses the public also will be able to speak with project partners working on key corridor elements, including Sound Transit, King County Metro, and staff from the newly-formed SR 520 Tolling Implementation Committee.

Representatives from the Lake Washington Urban Partnership also will be launching the environmental process for a proposal to toll the existing SR 520 floating bridge. This proposal is part of a federal program aimed at improving congestion through tolling, transit, technology, and telecommuting.

Pontoon construction for the new bridge will get underway in 2009. Construction on the east side of the corridor is expected to begin in 2010, with the four-lane corridor open to traffic in 2014 and the full six-lane corridor completed in 2016.

More information is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr520bridge