MARCH 16: North Sound I-405 commuters – the worst is over. The closure of the freeway in both directions around the SR 522 interchange is done. All lanes are now back open.
Highway construction crews finished tearing down the closed flyover ramp from northbound 405 to westbound 522 over the weekend. Work actually moved rather quickly resulting in southbound 405 reopening around 730 AM Sunday. Northbound 405 reopened early Monday morning.
What’s Next
The removal of the former flyover ramp will now allow construction crews to move forward on building a new general purpose lane northbound 405 overpass crossing SR 522 and the Sammamish River below. Some of that work has already started with overpass supports under construction.
Once that new overpass is completed, northbound 405 traffic will shift over to the new structure. The current northbound 405 overpass will then be converted to carry two lanes of express toll lane traffic in both directions with the purpose of easing daily congestion through this chokepoint area.
More work along the stretch of 405 from around 160th to Canyon Park remains. For instance, a mid-freeway transit station is planned at the 160th interchange serving the Brickyard Park & Ride, similar to the Totem Lake mid-freeway structure. In the Canyon Park area, a similar mid-freeway transit area is planned to be constructed that will also serve that Park & Ride.
The freeway expansion project is slated to reach the finish line in 2028. In the meantime, anticipate more construction delays at times.
