Drivers to get relief from SR 520 construction and bridge openings Labor Day weekend

The State Route 520 floating bridge and highway will be open to drivers for the holiday weekend with most construction activities put on hold and no mainline construction closures.

August 29, 2014 7:06 am

The following is a release from the Washington State Department of Transportation:

The State Route 520 floating bridge and highway will be open to drivers for the holiday weekend with most construction activities put on hold and no mainline construction closures. In addition, both the east and west navigational channels under the floating bridge will be accessible to boaters during the long weekend. The east channel is currently closed for construction activity and is open only on special dates. By Tuesday crews will be back to work as they put the finishing touches on the new West Connection Bridge.

Labor Day weekend

  • There will be a special opening of the east navigation channel. Boaters will be able to use the channel from 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 29 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2.
  • Opening the east navigation channel will reduce the number of boaters requiring drawspan openings. However, drivers should be aware that boats over 58 feet tall will still require openings to navigate around the bridge. Drawspan openings are announced two hours before the highway is closed via message boards, email and text message.
  • Both the east and west navigation channels are expected to be congested over the weekend and boaters should be aware of channel configurations.

Tuesday, Sept. 2

  • All westbound lanes of SR 520 will close at 11 p.m. Tuesday from 92nd Avenue Northeast to Montlake Boulevard. The lanes will reopen at 5 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3. Crews will use the closure to move equipment for the new West Connection Bridge.
  • From Tuesday, Sept. 2 to the morning of Friday, Sept. 5, the intersection of 108th Avenue Northeast and Northup Way will close nightly from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Crews will use the intersection’s overnight closures for traffic-island demolition.

WSDOT posts information about construction closures and nighttime work on the SR 520 Orange Page, the interactive construction and driver planning tool for the SR 520 program. The SR 520 website also provides information on the SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program.