BOTHELL, Wash. — After years of construction, changes to one part of Intestate 405 could speed things up for thousands of drivers on the Eastside.
The interchange at 160th and I-405 in Bothell has been under construction for several years and the onramps were hard to navigate. Northbound I-405 in the Kirkland-Bothell area was down to just one lane over the weekend to complete the construction.
But Washington State Department of Transportation officials say the changes will make the drive on northbound I-405 better for everyone. Before, cars getting onto north I-405 just south of the interchange had to merge across almost all lanes of traffic to get onto State Route 522.
As of Monday, there is a dedicated lane to take the onramp to SR 522. Drivers who want to stay on I-405 have a dedicated lane as well. They call them “braided ramps,” that separate traffic by destination to avoid merging traffic, which eases congestion.
The construction project has taken three years to complete and is a major piece in the bigger I-405 express toll lane expansion, which is set to start in about a month.
The new ramps will keep traffic flowing better in all lanes of 405, according to engineers.
WSDOT engineers are at the scene to make sure the traffic signals are timing the traffic flow properly.
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