SEATTLE — It’s the start of a new work week, and commuters who are used to getting to Montlake from downtown Seattle will have to find a different way to get around.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has planned an around-the-clock, weeklong closure of the Montlake Boulevard off-ramp from eastbound SR 520.
The closure started Saturday. It will reopen next Saturday, the 19th, at 8 a.m.
“It’s going to be a big change for drivers who usually use that on a daily basis. We know about 14,000 vehicles use that each and every day,” said Steve Peer, a WSDOT spokesperson. “Monday through Friday, that’s going to be a big deal as people attempt to use that to go to or from work or school.”
Peer said the closure is necessary to remove sections of the old Montlake Boulevard off-ramp, which closed earlier this summer. Crews also need to make space for another traffic shift coming in early 2027.
“It’s an old ramp, and eventually we’re going to use that area to move the work zone around, move the lanes as we continue to build westbound lanes between Montlake and I-5,” Peer said.
Detours will depend on where drivers are going. Drivers heading northbound on I-5 can take the Lakeview Boulevard exit south of the exit to eastbound SR 520 and head east. Southbound drivers can either exit Northeast 45th Street or Northeast 50th Street and head east or take the Boylston Avenue Exit.
The westbound SR 520 off-ramp to Montlake Boulevard will remain open.