State hoping March brings good news for Eastside 520 plans

December 17, 2009 7:02 pm
This rendering shows the landscaped highway lid that WSDOT plans to construct at 92nd Ave. NE as part of the SR-520 improvement project.
This rendering shows the landscaped highway lid that WSDOT plans to construct at 92nd Ave. NE as part of the SR-520 improvement project.

Looking ahead, March will be a pivotal month for the State Department of Transportation as it aims to begin work on a major Eastside highway project by early 2011.

WSDOT expects to hear back by then about an environmental-review decision and possible federal stimulus funding for its Eastside 520 improvement plan.

The state still needs $800 million to implement the project, which precedes a far costlier replacement of the 520 bridge due to start in 2012.

WSDOT officials took public comments on the Eastside 520 plan during a Dec. 16 open house at Chinook Middle School. The event drew over 70 people.

The Eastside 520 project would:

• Create an inside HOV lane from Medina to SR 202 in Redmond

• Replace the access ramps off of Bellevue Way NE and add left-turn lanes for cars accessing the entrance ramps

• Add a direct-access interchange for transit and HOV traffic at 108th Ave. NE

• Establish landscaped highway lids at Evergreen Point Road, 84th Ave. NE, and 92nd Ave. NE.

• Expand the Evergreen Point park-and-ride

• Construct a noise wall from Evergreen Point Road to 108th Ave. NE.

Many residents have expressed concern about increased traffic on city roads near entrance and exit ramps.

Congestion is expected increase along Northup Way, where another left-turn lane would be added in the westbound direction to provide additional access to the on-ramp along 108th Avenue Northeast.

But WSDOT projects that level of service will remain roughly the same in most areas.

“We don’t see a large incremental growth in volume with build versus no-build,” said WSDOT engineering manager Daniel Babuca.

Residents have also voiced concern about cars speeding onto Bellevue Way as they exit 520. This creates a hazard for vehicles turning onto Bellevue Way from 103rd Avenue.

WSDOT is working with the city of Bellevue to identify ways of mitigating that impact, perhaps with traffic lights or rumble strips.

The Eastside 520 project will require acquisition of 10 full property parcels and 23 partial parcels.

WSDOT estimates that the new transit and HOV system on 520 will shave 18 to 45 minutes from westbound evening commutes and five to 16 minutes on eastbound commutes in 2030 as compared with a no-build option.

Morning drives are expected to remain the same regardless of whether the system is in place.

Work on the Eastside 520 improvement project is expected to wrap up by 2014, assuming WSDOT can stick to its original timeline.

“It all depends on if we get the funding next year,” said WSDOT project manager Julie Meredith.