Residents in the Lake Hills neighborhood will celebrate the long-awaited improvements of a key arterial next week with a get-together, food and speeches.

Community members are invited to mark the completion of work on 145th Place Southeast, from Southeast 16th to Southeast 24th street, and on Southeast 22nd Street, from 145th Place to 156th Avenue Southeast.

The party is from 4-5 p.m. Thursday, July 26, at the Bel-East QFC Shopping Center, 1510 145th Pl. SE. A video that shows the completed project is available at http://www.youtube..

In addition to city council members on hand to talk about the project, attendees can enjoy hot dogs, chips, and beverages (while supplies last) contributed by the contractor, KLB Construction, and cake and ice cream provided by the city of Bellevue.

Improvements to the roadway include new bicycle lanes, sidewalks, medians and center turn lanes. Another important aspect of the work is the environmental sustainability built into it, with features such as pervious concrete sidewalks, which allow water to soak through to the ground below, and rain gardens to reduce runoff and improve water quality.

The $6.8 million effort is the city’s largest transportation project this year, and adds to an earlier phase of the 145th Place work, between Southeast Eighth Street and Southeast 16th Street, completed in 2007.