New SR 520 on-ramp opens this morning in Redmond

March 22, 2010 10:52 am
Crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WDOT) will open the new eastbound SR 520 on-ramp from West Lake Sammamish Parkway to give drivers more distance to merge onto the freeway. It’s also expected to ease congestion in the area
Crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WDOT) will open the new eastbound SR 520 on-ramp from West Lake Sammamish Parkway to give drivers more distance to merge onto the freeway. It’s also expected to ease congestion in the area

A new on-ramp opening this morning will mean a safer drive on SR 520 in Redmond.

Crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will open the new eastbound SR 520 on-ramp from West Lake Sammamish Parkway to give drivers more distance to merge onto the freeway. It’s also expected to ease congestion in the area, particularly during the afternoon commute.

“Before we built this new ramp, drivers had to merge into freeway traffic very quickly,” said Engineering Manager Randy Simonsen. “The new ramp gives them much more time to get up to speed.”

The ramp is part of a project to widen SR 520 between West Lake Sammamish Parkway and SR 202 in Redmond. In addition to building a new HOV lane and merge lane in each direction, crews also are rebuilding the ramps at the West Lake Sammamish Parkway interchange to improve safety and ease congestion. The $105 million project is funded by the 2003 Gas Tax.

Starting today drivers will access the new ramp from West Lake Sammamish Parkway at the same location as the existing ramp, but will be directed onto the newly paved portion.