The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced Thursday, May 15 that its planned closure of both directions of State Route 18 near Interstate 90 in Snoqualmie for five days starting May 15 has been canceled due to a rainy forecast.
Both directions of State Route 18 were scheduled to be closed to build the southern end of a new diverging diamond interchange.
A new date for the work has not yet been scheduled, according to WSDOT.
Any closure is disruptive, but WSDOT chose May 15-21 to avoid busy travel weekends on Mother’s Day (May 11) and Memorial Day (May 26). The work requires dry weather and may be rescheduled if it rains.
The extended closure will eliminate the need for 10 consecutive nights of ramp and intersection closures near the interchange and fewer traffic shifts, which improves safety for workers and people driving through the work zone. It also reduces the chances that opening the new interchange is delayed.
During the closure, contractor crews working for WSDOT will install new drainage and electrical crossings, pave the new roadway and build concrete islands that will form a portion of the new I-90/SR 18 diverging diamond interchange. The work also includes constructing a left turn pocket for traffic turning from westbound SR 18 onto Southeast 104th Street and a signalized U-turn south of I-90 that will allow eastbound SR 18 traffic to head westbound toward Auburn.
The extended closure will allow both the left turn pocket from westbound SR 18 to Southeast 104th Street and the signalized U-turn to westbound SR 18 to open while work on the rest of the interchange is completed.
After the closure
Once the project is finished, most of the construction on the southern end of the new interchange will be complete. Work remains under the I-90 bridges and on the northern end of the project before traffic can be shifted into the final diverging diamond configuration later this summer.
In addition to building the new interchange, the project is:
Widening more than 2 miles of SR 18 south of I-90 to two lanes in each direction.
Building new four-lane bridges over Lake and Deep creeks that will allow fish and wildlife to pass beneath SR 18.
Constructing a new two-lane bridge over Raging River next to the existing SR 18 bridge.
SR 18 widening is expected to finish later this year.
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