“We’re excited to work with Walsh to build this next piece of the SR 520 Program,” said Program Administrator Omar Jepperson. “When complete, this project will provide a reliable transit link between the region’s major employment centers in Seattle’s South Lake Union and the Eastside via SR 520.”
The project will extend SR 520’s new transit/HOV system to I-5 by providing a reversible connection between SR 520 and the I-5/Mercer Street interchange via the I-5 Express lanes. The new reversible lane will work in concert with the I-5 express lanes. When the I-5 express lanes are operating in the northbound direction, the new ramp will connect to eastbound SR 520. The new ramp will connect westbound SR 520 vehicles to the I-5 express lanes when they are operating in the southbound direction.
Construction is expected to begin this summer and wrap up in late 2023. The contract includes:
- Building a reversible transit/HOV ramp between SR 520 and the I-5 express lanes
- Restriping I-5 express lanes while adding a reversible transit/HOV lane between the I-5/SR 520 interchange and Mercer Street
- Modifying an existing ramp for reversible operations between the I-5 express lanes and Mercer Street
