Section of Highway 522 in Bothell to close for weekend

Published 10:55 pm Thursday, September 25, 2008

BOTHELL — A busy segment of eastbound Highway 522 in Bothell is expected to shut down this weekend, forcing about 20,000 drivers every day to take a six-mile detour.

Crews are set to close the two eastbound lanes between Highway 527 and I-405 at 11:30 p.m. tonight to connect the road to new straighter lanes. The work is part of the $50.7 million project to build a new entrance to the south side of the University of Washington’s Bothell campus, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The closure is expected to continue through 5 a.m. Monday.

“We are asking for (drivers’) patience,” said Ngoc Bui, assistant project engineer for the transportation department.

The new roadway should improve visibility and safety, and it aims to give commuters better access to the UW campus, where Cascadia Community College also operates, Bui said.

About 20,000 vehicles daily use eastbound Highway 522, which runs between Monroe and Seattle, said Patty Michaud, a spokeswoman for the transportation department. The weekend closure will require drivers to take northbound Highway 527 and switch to southbound I-405 as a detour.

“We really encourage drivers to avoid the area because it’s a very busy road, even on weekends,” Michaud said.

The highway’s westbound lanes will remain open this weekend, state officials said. In October, crews plan to shut down the westbound lanes to connect the highway to new lanes.

The university and the community college have to add a south access to their campus from Highway 522 in order to attract more students, according to the transportation department. They want to expand from the current 3,000 full-time students to 10,000 full-time students.

Construction for the project started in April and is expected to wrap up in fall 2009. Most of the money for the project comes from 2003 and 2005 gas tax increases.

“We are on schedule; we are on budget,” Bui said.

Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.