This story was originally posted to MyNorthwest.com
Getting around Bothell and Woodinville is not going to be easy over the next month. Four weekends of construction are about to start as the state adds a new lane to I-405.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) closed the old ramps between I-405 and State Route 522 (SR 522) in Bothell late last year. Now it’s time to take them down, and that requires shutting the roads down.
This weekend is just the appetizer, and the closures will have the least impact. WSDOT is expected to close westbound SR 522 at I-405 from Friday night into Saturday. Contractors are taking down the shortest section of the old northbound 405 ramp to westbound 522, near the University of Washington Bothell.
Full I-405 closures in March will basically shut Bothell down
The following weekend, WSDOT will close down both directions of SR 522 at I-405 to take down the part of the ramp that goes over the highway. Both of these closures are manageable. The next two weekends are going to be brutal.
As early as the weekend of March 6 through 9, WSDOT will close both directions of I-405 at SR 522 in Bothell. Northbound drivers will be forced off the freeway and detoured down to SR 522 and then back on I-405. Southbound drivers will have to exit at Canyon Park and take State Route 527 (SR 527) down through Bothell to eastbound SR 522 and back to I-405. This will basically shut Bothell down.
Second full closure set for March 13–16
Another full weekend closure of I-405 at SR 522 is scheduled for March 13 through 16.
WSDOT needs both full weekend closures to remove the flyover ramp. It’s expected that these two weekend closures could cause up to an hour of delays in both directions of I-405.
A second express toll lane is coming to I-405
So what is WSDOT doing here that is causing such a disruption?
The state is adding a second express toll lane to both directions of I-405 between the Bothell/Woodinville exit and Canyon Park. To do that, contractors need to build a new bridge over SR 522. These old ramps are in the way.
Construction is expected to finish in 2028.
Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.
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