SR 520 to be closed 20 times in December near Bellevue

November 30, 2009 2:04 pm

The month of December is going to a busy one for construction crews on SR 520. Crews working on three separate projects along the SR 520 corridor between Medina and Redmond are ramping up nighttime work and that means closures and delays for drivers during the busiest shopping season of the year.

“We’re going to be busy in December, and there will be a lot of nighttime closures that drivers will need to be prepared for,” WSDOT Assistant Regional Administrator Russ East said. “December isn’t typically known for its construction, so there’s the chance drivers could be caught off guard. We need them to know before they go … to work or shopping or to visit family.”

WSDOT and the city of Redmond have construction projects under way that stretch through the Eastside on SR 520. Crews working for these projects are getting non-weather dependent work done before the busy summer season takes up time and resources:

* Crews building a freeway overpass at NE 36th Street will close SR 520 for 20 nights in Redmond starting Friday, Dec. 4, through Dec. 22. Either westbound or eastbound SR 520 will be closed between 148th Avenue NE and NE 51st Street from approximately 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. The closures will allow crews to install 56 bridge girders for the new overpass, which is designed to ease congestion on city streets in the Overlake area.

* WSDOT crews building sign bridges to hold high-tech electronic signs will have rolling slowdowns each night on east- and westbound SR 520 between just east of the Evergreen Point Bridge and I-405 through Tuesday, Dec. 2. State Patrol will start slowing traffic at 11:30 p.m. Drivers should expect to encounter these slowdowns through 4 a.m.

WSDOT crews are also planning one full closure of eastbound SR 520 at I-405 and three full closures on westbound SR 520 between I-405 and 130th Avenue NE starting Sunday, Dec. 6.

* WSDOT is continuing a project to widen SR 520 between West Lake Sammamish Parkway and SR 202 in Redmond. This work will require single-lane and ramp closures during the midday and overnight hours.