Good news for drivers! All lanes of westbound I-90 are back open

SEATTLE -- All lanes of westbound I-90 reopened around 4:30 Friday morning.

WSDOT reduced traffic to one lane between Bellevue Way SE and the East Channel Bridge for a week so crews could replace two large bridge expansion joints.

Officials warned drivers ahead of time about the possibility for serious backups.

Many drivers changed their routines and the delays were not as bad as expected.

“We thank commuters for doing their part,” said Northwest Region Administrator Lorena Eng. “We asked them to do something different this past week by delaying trips, taking time off, telecommuting, carpooling or leaving early. We even heard that people were boating across the lake. The bottom line is every time we need commuters’ help during big projects like this, they step up and respond.”

The new expansion joints should last about 30  years.

What's next?

The two bridge expansion joints under the I-90 bicycle/pedestrian trail will be replaced beginning Monday, July 28:

  • Crews will close the two right lanes of westbound I-90 on the East Channel Bridge weeknights from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. to access the trail and place construction equipment.

  • One lane of the Interstate 405 ramp to westbound I-90 will also be closed nightly although the ramp will remain open.

  • During work hours trail users will be required to stop at the construction zone and then wait for a flagger to give them permission to proceed. No work will be performed from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. At all times, users should use caution and be prepared to cross large steel plates on the trail at the expansion joint locations. This work is expected to last approximately two weeks.



One of the brand new expansion joints on the westbound I-90 East Channel Bridge near Mercer Island. (Credit: WSDOT)