Post navigation

Prev: (08/25/21) | Next: (08/26/21)

Lid construction milestone start of big Montlake Boulevard changes

There are still two more years of construction ahead to finish the project but an important milestone for creating the new Montlake Lid across 520 has come — and it will bring a major motor vehicle traffic shutdown for the weekend while the area will remain open to people walking and biking.

WSDOT work crews will spend the weekend shifting surface traffic lanes onto the recently completed eastern portion of the new lid to prepare for construction of the new structure’s western half:

We are shifting Montlake Boulevard onto the new Montlake lid this weekend, Aug. 27-30, so we can remove the old street crossing over SR 520 and build a new, improved overpass. During the weekend traffic shift, access to arterials and SR 520 ramps, as shown in the map below, will be greatly limited in the Montlake area.

Crews will shift Montlake Boulevard onto the Montlake lid with work from 10 PM Friday until 6 AM Monday. During these work hours, Montlake Boulevard will be closed to cars between Roanoke Street and Hamlin Street, along with all SR 520 on- and off-ramps serving Montlake Boulevard.

The car and truck traffic closure joins the ongoing maintenance closure on the Montlake Bridge to create a temporarily pedestrian and bike-only Montlake. The bridge is scheduled to reopen to cars September 3rd.

CHS reported here on the Montlake Lid project and community desires for features and amenities on the new open space that will cover a portion of 520 between Montlake Boulevard and 24th Ave. The park will include walking paths and open spaces but will also have a transit plaza with direct access for buses, HOV and other forms of transportation. Coupled with this section will be a pedestrian bridge over 520, a bit farther east from the new lid.

The changes include a major expansion of motor vehicle lanes. “By next year, a new Montlake Boulevard will fully take shape where the current one stands, but with nine motor vehicle lanes directly over 520 in comparison to the six that existed prior to the start of construction,” the Urbanist reports. “Two lanes in each direction will be through lanes, while four of the additional lanes will all be turn lanes, including a southbound left and right turn lane and two northbound left turn lanes. The remaining northbound lane will be dedicated to transit and paired with a direct transit connection on the Montlake lid, although with no southbound transit lane counterpart.”

The lid is part of WSDOT’s Montlake Project portion of the long running 520 replacement effort. This section of replacement is being built by Calgary, Canada-based Graham Construction for $455.3 million.

MONTLAKE PROJECT TIMELINE

  • Summer 2019: Begin construction
  • 2023-2024: Complete project construction
 

PLEASE HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE!
Subscribe to CHS to help us pay writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for as little as $5 a month.

 

 
Subscribe and support CHS Contributors -- $1/$5/$10 per month

8 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Caphiller
Caphiller
2 years ago

9 lanes?? I thought this project was meant to make the neighborhood more pleasant, not more traffic-choked

Eli
Eli
2 years ago
Reply to  Caphiller

Pro tip: a highway agency’s goal is never to improve neighborhood livability.

Javor
Javor
2 years ago
Reply to  Caphiller

chill and read the plan…. they are adding more turn lanes. There won’t be any more lanes coming into or exiting the 520 area. The main limiter will aways be the Montlake Bridge, which won’t be getting wider anytime soon, so it won’t mean any more traffic is really going through, it’ll just be easier to get through the choke point that the freeway ramps cause, maybe mean better flow and fewer backups into the U and on 23rd.

d3 person
d3 person
2 years ago
Reply to  Caphiller

It’s still only 2 lanes each way of thru traffic. The additional lanes are dedicated turn lanes for the 520 onramps, a bus lane and transit stops. Hopefully it will help, so much of the backups I’ve been stuck in are just people deciding at the last minute to turn from a thru lane to get on the 520.. Seattle drivers always find a way to make things interesting and terrible though.

Frank
Frank
2 years ago
Reply to  Caphiller

9 lanes on Alaskan Way. I’m sure if they ever lid I-5 we will get 12 lanes.

Crow
Crow
2 years ago

They closed 520’s Arboretum on/off ramps. Hence more traffic thru the Montlake interchange.

Nope
Nope
2 years ago
Reply to  Crow

Yup, it’s interesting how the architectural drawing of giant parks turns into one huge mass of concrete. From what I remember the park has a giant hole in the middle because they spent all the $$ on the east side lids (where no one lives).

Given that most east side companies are moving to hybrid working you have to wonder about toll revenue paying for all of this and actual need…

Aaron
Aaron
2 years ago
Reply to  Nope

Actual needs like the West Seattle Bridge, Ballard bridge, Magnolia bridge….. nah. That’s not where the monied bunch has investments.

U District is gonna be so gilded.