Drivers in the Kent area will encounter nighttime lane closures along northbound Interstate 5 and westbound State Route 516 during the week of April 21-27, according to a travel advisory from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
The construction work is part of the State Route 509 Completion Project which connects SR 509 to I-5 and improves the I-5/SR 516 interchange and local roads. The project is part of the Puget Sound Gateway Program which completes the missing links in Washington state’s highway and freight network.
The SR 509 Completion Project builds 3 miles of new tolled highway between I-5 and South 188th Street near the south end of Sea-Tac Airport. The new highway will be completed in stages. The portion between I-5 and 24th Avenue South in SeaTac is scheduled to open in summer 2025 along with the new Veterans Drive tunnel in Kent at the SR 516 interchange.
The final stage builds the remaining 2 miles of the expressway between 24th Avenue South and South 188th Street in SeaTac. The entire project is planned for completion by 2029.
The new portion of SR 509 will be tolled, according to WSDOT. Throughout construction and after completion, people will still be able to use their current access points to SR 509 and I-5, and people will not pay tolls on the roads they use today. The rates on the new part of 509 will vary depending on traffic.
The cost for the the SR 509 Completion Project in King County and the SR 167 Completion Project in Pierce County is $2.69 billion, according to WSDOT.
I-5 lane closures
• Monday, April 21 through the morning of Thursday, April 24
9 p.m. to 4 a.m. – Up to two lanes of northbound I-5 will close nightly between SR 516 (Exit 149) and South 200th Street/Military Road South (Exit 151).
• Saturday, April 26 through the morning of Sunday, April 27
9 p.m. to 4 a.m. – Up to four lanes of northbound I-5 will close overnight between SR 516 (Exit 149) and South 200th Street/Military Road South (Exit 151).
SR 516 lane closures
• Monday, April 21 through the morning of Friday, April 25
8 p.m. to 5 a.m. – One lane in both directions of SR 516 will close nightly between Military Road South and SR 99.
SR 516 ramp closure
• Monday, April 21 through the morning of Friday, April 25
11 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. – The westbound SR 516 on-ramp to northbound I-5 will close nightly. A signed detour will be in place.
• Saturday, April 26 through the morning of Sunday, April 27
11 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. – The westbound SR 516 on-ramp to northbound I-5 will close nightly. A signed detour will be in place.
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