The following is a release from the Washington State Department of Transportation:

Westbound State Route 520 drivers headed to Lake Washington Boulevard in Seattle are in for a big change early next year. Starting Jan. 6, drivers will use a new westbound off-ramp over the 24th Avenue East bridge to reach Lake Washington Boulevard. The new ramp will be a different route for drivers – some of whom have used the existing off-ramp to Lake Washington Boulevard in the Washington Park Arboretum for more than 50 years.

Westbound SR 520 closure on Jan. 5

To switch traffic onto the new off-ramp, contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will close all lanes and ramps of westbound SR 520 between 92nd Avenue Northeast and Montlake Boulevard from 11 p.m., Jan. 5 to 5 a.m., Jan. 6.

The new off-ramp will open in a temporary configuration until the West Approach Bridge North (WABN) project—part of WSDOT’s SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program—wraps up in 2017. Until then, an extra stop sign will be added to the ramp to allow construction vehicles to access a nearby work zone. Drivers will also use a new four-way stop to turn left or right onto Lake Washington Boulevard to reach their destination.

Once traffic shifts to the new off-ramp, contractor crews will begin to remove the existing westbound SR 520 off-ramp in the Arboretum. Decommissioning the ramp will be a challenge as the ramp is built over water and travels over SR 520. During this time, crews will continue building columns and the permanent bridge structure which will support the new westbound SR 520 lanes between the new floating bridge and the Montlake area.

For up-to-date information on highway closures and construction activity associated with SR 520, please visit the SR 520 Orange Page, or follow the project on Twitter.