Changes Coming To I-90 Between Issaquah, Bellevue

ISSAQUAH, WA — I-90 commuters this week will notice a few changes coming to both directions of the freeway between Eastgate in Bellevue and West Lake Sammamish Parkway as WSDOT begins a project to add auxiliary lanes in that area.

This week, crews working for WSDOT will re-stripe both directions of I-90, shifting lanes away from the center median. That will allow crews to reinforce culverts and other infrastructure in preparation to add auxiliary lanes.

An auxiliary lane is a supplemental or extra lane that’s added between closely spaced interchanges. They are frequently used to give drivers more time to safely enter or exit the highway, depending on if they need to merge over, speed up or slow down. These new lanes will be located on the outside of the existing lanes in both directions of I-90, adding capacity and accessibility to all travelers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. — WSDOT's desription of auxiliary lanes

Once the work in the median is done, I-90 lanes will be shifted away from the shoulders for similar work. Over the next two years, drivers should expect intermittent lane and ramp closures, shoulder closures, and narrower lanes.

WSDOT expects the project to be complete by fall 2021.