Heads up, drivers: big changes getting on SR 520 from Montlake Boulevard

SEATTLE — The Washington State Department of Transportation says it is one step closer to finishing the Montlake project, which has been going on for years now.

Over the weekend, crews were able to finish two new turn lanes from Montlake Boulevard onto to westbound State Route 520.

Those lanes opened for drivers Monday morning.

“After a weekend closure, we opened two new left hand turn lanes for Montlake drivers going northbound to get directly onto westbound 520,” said Steve Peer, spokesperson for WSDOT.

WSDOT says about 40,000 people drive through that section of Montlake Boulevard and say the change may take drivers some time to get used to.

“For the last 50 or 60 years, drivers have driven further north, gone all the way up to East Hamlin Street, turned around South Montlake just to get to westbound 520,” said Peer.

Peer says this section is just one piece of a big puzzle.

“The Montlake project started in 2019, so we are in our fifth year of construction, this is a $456 million project,” said Peer.

WSDOT says COVID and the concrete strike delayed things, but they expect to be done with the project by August.

“I would love to believe that it looks like a really, big project right now. When I walk here every morning it’s been a lot of construction so I would love for it to be done by summer,” said Montlake resident Rachel Levy.

When completed, there will be a three-acre lid over 520.

“It’s three acres, and 60% of that will be green space, so there will be a place for communities to come together, there will be transit hubs there,” said Peer.

Residents say while it’s not fun to deal with construction, it’s important to think of the end goal.

“This stretch is usually just a lot of, feel like a highway right now, it could be nicer to have trees and everything around,” said Levy.

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