State Route 520 Bridge Closed This Weekend

State Route 520 will close once again between Montlake Boulevard and Interstate 405 this Friday night through Monday morning, July 8-11, motorists are being advised by city and state officials.

Approximately 166,000 vehicles travel across the 520 bridge on a typical summer weekend, and coupled with the weekend closure by the city of Seattle of Interstate 5 ramps to and from Mercer Street, it is expected to cause major traffic congestion in the region. 

The 520 closure will be from 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, so crews can give the floating bridge its annual inspection, as well as for installation of a fish passage culvert under the east side of the highway.

The mid-span inspection, along with testing and any necessary repairs, is part of regular maintenance to make sure the aging bridge can safely carry motorists during the coming winter, according to Washington State Department of Transportation spokesman Jeff Switzer.

Switzer said another full weekend closure is expected in in August, but that exact date has not yet been set. The closures and construction are part of a three-year project to widen the highway for better safety and travel reliability, WSDOT reported.

The construction is the reason behind the upcoming tolls for the State Route 520 bridge.

Switzer said there was increased congestion during the last bridge closure which was the weekend of June 17 to 20, which included Father's Day, commencement at the University of Washington and other events.

"We saw increased congestion on (Interstate) 90, as we expected, with Father's Day weekend and the Mariners' game, and we got through it," he said. "We know there's some smaller festivals going on this weekend. Just know it's going to be congested and make your plans around that."

The closure includes all ramps and main lanes of SR 520 between I-405 in Bellevue and Montlake Boulevard in Seattle. Switzer said that the motorists can expect full weekend closures about once a month.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is asking that drivers avoid discretionary trips during the closure, carpool and use transit. The agency plans five more weekend 520 closures through the end of the year, with the next closure on a weekend in August.

For details, see the WSDOT web pages right here. 

-- Information from the Washington State Department of Transportation, Kirkland Patch and Bellevue Patch archives used in this report.