Starting Tuesday, March 19, West Lake Sammamish Parkway will be closed to southbound traffic from Southeast 34th Street to just north of the I-90 roundabout until October.

The detour will redirect southbound traffic onto SE 34th Street. Northbound traffic will be permitted but significant delays are still likely. All businesses will remain open during construction.

The City of Bellevue is advising motorists to find alternative routes for traveling on the parkway. Delays of 15 minutes or more are possible through the construction zone.

The parkway project will provide a multi-use trail along the west side of the arterial.

The proposed construction plan breaks the roadway into five approximately mile-long segments.

The first segment of the project is located between Interstate 90 and Southeast 34th Street. The city began construction of Phase 1 in early 2013. The scope of work includes the construction of a 10-foot wide multi-use path on the west side of the street, a four-foot shoulder on the east side, and two general-purpose travel lanes (one northbound and one southbound).