I-405 Construction Impacts Shift South This Weekend

Drivers across the Puget Sound region should prepare for significant congestion March 20-23 as construction impacts along Interstate 405 shift from Bothell to Bellevue, Renton and Kirkland.

The weekend work includes lane closures in Bellevue on both northbound and southbound I-405, along with the closure of the northbound off-ramp to Northeast 85th Street in Kirkland beginning Friday night through early Monday morning.

For the past four weekends, major construction activity was concentrated in Bothell, where crews removed the State Route 522 flyover ramp to make way for corridor upgrades between the SR 522 and SR 527 interchanges. With that phase complete, work is now moving south as contractors continue paving, drainage improvements and ramp regrading.

In Bellevue, the two left lanes of northbound and southbound I-405 will close in the downtown area from 11:30 p.m. Friday, March 20, to 4 a.m. Monday, March 23. Additional lane closures will affect northbound I-405 from I-90 to Northeast Sixth Street and southbound from SR 520 to Southeast Eighth Street during the same timeframe.

Crews will continue paving and installing drainage as part of the I-405 Renton to Bellevue Widening and Express Toll Lanes Project, which will extend the two-lane express toll system between Renton and Lynnwood. The corridor will also support future Stride bus rapid transit service between Burien and Lynnwood.

In Kirkland, the northbound I-405 off-ramp to Northeast 85th Street will close at 10 p.m. Friday and reopen by 4 a.m. Monday. A signed detour will be in place while crews pave and realign the ramp in preparation for a traffic shift scheduled in April.

Additional construction will add to travel delays across the region. One lane of the northbound SR 99 tunnel in Seattle will close from 7 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for maintenance work. At the same time, two northbound lanes of I-5 remain closed across the Ship Canal Bridge as part of the Revive I-5 project.

Travelers should expect longer backups on I-405 approaching Bellevue in both directions, with congestion extending throughout the corridor. Delays are also likely on SR 520 ramps connecting to southbound I-405, as well as on local streets in downtown Kirkland near the Northeast 85th Street interchange during the ramp closure.

With multiple major corridors restricted at the same time, congestion may extend beyond construction zones as drivers seek alternate routes. Travelers may experience delays on nearby roads and parallel routes that are not typically affected by freeway construction.

Transportation officials encourage travelers to plan ahead, consider transit or park-and-ride options and use real-time travel information to navigate the closures.