520 Bridge to Close This Weekend

The time is coming for the State Route 520 Bridge to be closed all weekend for construction, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

SR 520 will be closed from Montlake Boulevard in Seattle to Interstate 405 in Bellevue from 11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1 to noon Sunday, Feb. 3. Drivers are encouraged to find alternate routes or take transit during the closure. 

During the closure crews working on the SR 520 Eastside project will shift fiber optic lines critical to the region’s highway cameras and traffic information systems, according to a state press release. Crews also will install new sign structures for SR 520's  driver information system.

The work is necessary before traffic shifts onto a newly widened section of the highway, which will happen later this year, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The construction is part of the state's $4.65 billion plan to improve SR 520 from Seattle to Redmond. Improvements include landscaped lids over portions of 520, a wider roadway, increased carpool lanes, a bicycle and pedestrian lane and environmental upgrades and a new bridge deck.