I-90 bridge work slows travel times to Seattle

May 4, 2009 4:51 pm
A sign warns drivers of work to repair expansion joints on the I-90 bridge while another tells drivers what the speed limit is because of traffic.
A sign warns drivers of work to repair expansion joints on the I-90 bridge while another tells drivers what the speed limit is because of traffic.

The I-90 express lanes closed on Sunday at 11 p.m. and it didn’t take long for the Monday morning commute to see an impact.

Travel times from Bellevue to Seattle across I-90 were longer during the morning rush hours. Travel from Bellevue to Seattle across SR 520 also took more time in most cases.

The express lanes will remain closed for three weeks of major roadwork from May 4-23. All westbound traffic will use the mainline. The westbound mainline will be closed from July 5 – 28. All westbound traffic will use the center roadway.

The lane closures will affect the westbound commute in the morning and the eastbound commute during the evening commute.

At 7:40 a.m. Monday morning, Bellevue to Seattle travel via I-90 took 30 minutes. Normally the trip takes 16 minutes. Bellevue to Seattle via 520 took 18 minutes. Normally it is a 15-minute commute.

At 8:13 a.m., the Bellevue-to-Seattle commute took 34 minutes, normally a 20-minute trip. On SR 520, the Bellevue-Seattle trip took 19 minutes, the same as a normal commute day.

By 8:30 a.m., the Bellevue-Seattle trip was taking 26 minutes. On a normal day, the commute takes 18 minutes. Bellevue-to-Seattle on SR 520 also took longer – 23 minutes on Monday compared with 18 minutes on a normal day.

The problem for the state department of transportation is that the expansion joins now in place on I-90 were installed before fatigue testing was a standard requirement. It takes constant welding to fix the joints, state officials say, which causes the metal in the joints to weaken and potentially fail.