State Route 520
The SR 520 / I-5 Express Lanes project will provide a reversible transit / HOV ramp between SR 520 and the I-5 express lanes. Credit: HD_Vision.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) in the US has announced that the first of the final projects to complete the reconstruction of State Route 520 in Seattle will resume next year.

Construction will start on the Montlake Project at the SR 520-Montlake Boulevard interchange.

WSDOT will appoint a contractor for the project in the coming weeks.

These are two of the four remaining SR 520 projects in Seattle between the floating bridge and I-5, which are together called the ‘Rest of the West.’

The remaining projects will complete the highway’s $4.5bn reconstruction.

SR 520 Program administrator Denise Cieri said: “We refined our delivery plan for upcoming construction to assure we keep traffic flowing while building multiple SR 520 corridor improvements.

“The remaining SR 520 projects will require nearly $1.6bn investment and will be funded by the 2015 Connecting Washington transportation legislation.”

“These improvements are needed to replace the aging and seismically vulnerable corridor structures west of the new floating bridge.”

The construction will take around ten years to complete and be classified into four main projects, including Montlake Project, SR 520 / I-5 Express Lanes Connection Project, Montlake Cut Bascule Bridge Project, as well as the Portage Bay Bridge and Roanoke Lid Project.

A new Montlake interchange, a landscaped lid over SR 520 with regional transit stops will be constructed along with a bicycle / pedestrian land bridge, and a West Approach Bridge South for traffic between Montlake and the floating bridge.

The SR 520 / I-5 Express Lanes Connection Project will provide a new reversible transit / HOV ramp between SR 520 and the I-5 express lanes.

A second parallel drawbridge across the Montlake Cut is planned for the Montlake Cut Bascule Bridge Project.

The Portage Bay Bridge and Roanoke Lid Project will replace the old bridge with two parallel structures with an extension of the SR 520 Trail, and a connection over I-5 for bicyclists and pedestrians.

The remaining SR 520 projects will require nearly $1.6bn investment and will be funded by the 2015 Connecting Washington transportation legislation.