REDMOND, Wash. — A State Route 520 on-ramp closure in Redmond is impacting thousands of commuters Monday.
The closure, which is near downtown, will last for four months.
The old westbound ramp was closed on Friday night as crews have already started building a new elevated on-ramp.
The Washington State Department of Transportation said the closure will cause delays and backups on nearby highways and city roads.
Two of the detours currently in place will cut through residential streets.
This work is all for the future light rail line that will travel at ground level below SR 520.
Angela Birney, the city’s mayor, said it will help connect Redmond to the region.
The future light rail line is expected to take 15 minutes to downtown Bellevue and 45 minutes to downtown Seattle.
Drivers in the Redmond area said traffic is already bad.
“It’s a minor annoyance right now, but if that ramp gets closed, it’s going to be probably pretty terrible. I’ll probably start walking to work actually,” driver Yuri Carrasco said.
“It is what it is when you live in the city. It’s not what I’m used to, but I mean, if they have to do road work, they have to do road work. It might put some time on, getting to my friend’s place but I just bring my toothbrush and say I’m not going out there,” driver McKinzi said.
Drivers also said they are in favor of the new light rail extension. They think it will be worth it in the long run.
The on-ramp is expected to stay closed until fall.
The light rail extension into Redmond is expected to be completed in two years.
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