SR 522 traffic shifts at I-405 as crews make progress reshaping the interchange

By Lauren Penning

In the last year, crews have made rapid progress reshaping the interchange at SR 522 and I-405. Now we are ready to move to the next phase of construction on the I-405 Brickyard to SR 527 Improvement Project. This means traffic needs to shift on SR 522 at the I-405 interchange.

Map showing where crews will shift traffic on SR 522 at I-405.

What to expect while we do the shift

Starting at 11:59 p.m., Friday, April 18 to 6 a.m., Saturday, April 19:

• SR 522 will be a single lane each direction at I-405
• Westbound SR 522 ramp to northbound I-405 closed with signed detour in effect

Drivers should slow down as they approach the work zone. Watch for changing traffic control as crews shift eastbound and westbound traffic to the newly paved section of SR 522 further north.

Progress on Par Creek fish passage
This shift means traffic will move over the newly completed section of the Par Creek fish passage. This fish passage will run under SR 522 at I-405. We completed the first section of the fish passage in late 2024. Since then, westbound SR 522 ramp traffic has been traveling over that new section. Now we’ve completed the second portion of the passage and are ready to shift traffic again. This will free up space to begin construction on the south portion.

Opening of the second phase of the Par Creek fish passage in February 2025. The blue line shows where the fish passage will connect. Traffic will now be shifted on top of the fish passage, opening up a new area to continue work.

The Par Creek fish passage will connect the Sammamish River with Par Creek, allowing for natural stream processes that help protect and restore salmon runs. In total, this project will remove six fish barriers and create new habitat area.

Reminder to slow down to 35 MPH

A year ago, we reduced the speed limit on SR 522 near the I-405 interchange from 60 to 35 MPH. We made this permanent change for the safety of our crews. This speed limit also reflects how drivers will navigate this road in the future.

Despite this change, our crews still regularly see traffic speeding through the area. They often see drivers far exceeding the posted speed limit. We are asking drivers to slow down on SR 522 near the I-405 interchange for the safety of our crews and all travelers.

New route to SR 522 from northbound I-405 coming in late 2025
This project adds direct access to the I-405 express toll lanes (ETLs) at the SR 522 interchange. These ramps will be available for HOV and ETL users and Sound Transit Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). It also provides infrastructure to support BRT service along I-405. These new connections mean changes to the I-405/SR 522 interchange.

Key Changes:

• New traffic signal in late 2025 will control two movements :
• Eastbound SR 522 to northbound I-405: New left turn at signal, no more loop ramp.
• Northbound I-405 to west SR 522: Use new signal, no more flyover ramp.
• More signals: Two more added by 2028.

Important Dates:

• First signal: November 2025
• Project completion: 2028

Expect ongoing updates before each major change.

A map of the final configuration of the SR 522 interchange. You can see three new traffic signals marked. These allow for access to the new direct access ramps to the express toll lanes and Stride station. Please note, this is a conceptual design, and details are subject to change.

Thank you for your patience as we continue this work. Improvements to this 4.5 mile stretch of I-405 through Bothell will benefit drivers, riders, and many other travelers. Check out the WSDOT real-time travel map for up-to-date information. If you have any questions and/or you would like to sign up for project updates, please email I405SR167Program@wsdot.wa.gov. Stay informed by subscribing to WSDOT updates for King County.

Two new Salish welcome figures greet ferry riders inside the Bainbridge Island walkway

By Diane Rhodes

Skokomish tribal artist Andy Wilbur-Peterson tells the story behind his pair of welcome poles as they’re unveiled on April 8 inside the new Bainbridge Island pedestrian walkway.

A pair of Salish welcome figures newly installed in the passenger walkway at our Bainbridge Island ferry terminal wish passengers a warm welcome and safe travels. The 10-foot-tall hand-carved red cedar welcome poles were unveiled to the public on April 8. Carved by Native American artist Andy Wilbur-Peterson and titled Crossing the Water, they are mounted in two pier houses along the walkway.

See a short video (Facebook Reel) of one of the two welcome poles being installed and unveiled.

“I started carving when I was 19,” Andy said. “Before that I was making baskets. The designs on these poles combine several marine elements such as orcas and waves. The male has a strawberry tattoo on his arm for the island’s strawberries.”

Andy grew up in Shelton, Wash. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Native American studies from Evergreen State College in Olympia where he worked with Makah artist Greg Colfax on a 12-foot female welcome figure for the college. Andy has taught both carving and painting classes to all ages through various tribes and local schools. Andy and his wife Ruth Peterson run their carving studio and gallery from Skokomish, Wash.

WSF consults with federally recognized tribes with treaty rights where our projects are located to include tribal cultural design elements at our terminals. While these pieces add beauty, their presence signals something deeper. Story poles like these are an integral part of Native American culture in the Salish Sea. Often, they tell a story of the place or history of the tribe. And they remind travelers that local tribes and their customs live on here. By showcasing their thriving and vibrant culture to the traveling public, we also honor tribal treaties.

The story of the poles:

A long time ago, after the humans were created, the Creator gave power to the humans to rule the land. When humans came to the water, they wanted to cross to the other side. So, they created a canoe to help them get to where they wanted to go. One day as they were crossing the water they looked down and saw life, so they jumped in and caught Salmon and Octopus and took them to the other side of the water. When they got to the other side, they fed everyone.

Eagle was so appreciative that she gave them some of her feathers so that they could travel far.

Salmon gave them power to cross the water with great ease.

Octopus gave them the ability to go wherever they needed to be.

These poles represent the ability that all humans may travel and have great strength to go wherever they desire and have protection and power within.

--Ruth Peterson

Local community members selected this artwork through a process managed by the Washington State Arts Commission in partnership with WSDOT and WSF.

New rules and new look coming to SR 167

By Lauren McLaughlin 

If you’ve been driving on SR 167 during the last few weeks you’ve likely seen some new equipment. We’re here to shed some light on what’s happening on the road.

Cameras, pass readers and more!

We are installing updated tolling equipment. This includes cameras that read license plates, pass scanners, and other equipment to help us manage traffic.

On the gantry you can see pass scanners, license plate reading cameras, lights, and other vehicle detection equipment that will help track when vehicles enter and exit the tolled lane.

This new equipment will help modernize SR 167 and make it consistent with other toll roads in Washington. Drivers without a Good To Go! account will be able to use the toll road via Pay By Mail; a payment option where we’ll take a picture of your license plate and mail a bill. That bill will be sent to the address on your vehicle registration with the Department of Licensing. (The Pay By Mail toll rate is $2 higher than the Good To Go! Rate.)

Right now, drivers on SR 167 need to have a Good To Go! account and a pass installed before they can pay a toll to use the SR 167 HOT lanes while traveling alone.

Once the new equipment is installed people will have the chance to decide during their drive whether the toll is worth it for their trip, the same way they can on all our other toll roads.

As early as this fall, SR 167 will also have toll zones. These zones allow us to better manage the toll rates throughout the corridor. (This is similar to the way tolling currently works on I-405.) That means if there’s heavy traffic in one toll zone, the toll rates might be higher in that area. If traffic is flowing freely in another area the toll rate will be lower.

A mockup of what the new signs will look like on SR 167 when the toll zones are in place.

Along with the new toll zones, SR 167 will be restriped in some areas. Striping will show specific entry and exit points for the tolled lane. There will also be double white lines separating the tolled lane from the general purpose lanes. But unlike I-405, SR 167 will continue to have just a single tolled lane in either direction.

HOV to express toll lane

We’re also extending the northbound toll lane further south to Sumner. That change allows us to manage traffic for a larger piece of the roadway. It also gives drivers a chance to decide sooner if the toll is worth it. If they decide it is, they will get more benefit from it.

However, this does come with some growing pains. The installation of license plate readers means that people who carpool on SR 167 will need to have a Good To Go! account and a Flex Pass installed in their vehicle. That pass has to be set to HOV mode to travel toll-free. Motorcycles will need to have a Motorcycle Pass to travel toll-free on SR 167. In the future, anyone traveling without a Motorcycle Pass or a Flex Pass set to HOV mode will be charged a toll, no matter how many people are in the car.

The good news is that it’s completely free to open a Good To Go! account! Our Pay As You Go option allows you to open an account with just a credit card, and have your tolls charged to your card after your trip. And even better, we plan to give out free Flex Passes and Motorcycle Passes later this year to help make that transition easier!

We’ll have more information about how to get a free pass available this summer, as well as timing for when the rules will change for SR 167.

Testing in progress

As the installation continues over the next few months you may see lights flashing or words or numbers displayed on the new signs. Don’t worry, that’s part of testing the new equipment.

Even if you see those lights and numbers on the new signs, you won’t be charged a toll for driving by them until the system upgrades take place later this year.

A new sign structure on northbound SR 167 near Sumner, showing an entry and exit point for the tolled lane is coming up. There is also a rate sign, with its information obscured, which in the future will display what the tolls are for each toll zone ahead.

Travel disruptions
We started installing the updated equipment near Sumner. We’ll be making our way north over the next few months. The work does involve some overnight lane reductions and road and ramp closures. Be sure to keep an eye on our project page for the most up-to-date information about closures and planned work.

Heavy equipment and work crews need to use all lanes when installing certain elements of the new equipment. The work is done at night to avoid too much disruption to daily commutes.

Why update now?

This work has actually been in progress since 2023 (and has been in the works long before then). The ultimate goal is to seamlessly connect three toll facilities, creating an approximately 50-mile tolled corridor. That would allow drivers to travel all the way between Sumner and Lynnwood without needing to exit the tolled lanes. To do that, the tolled lane on SR 167 needs to work the same way as the tolling on I-405. We especially want this update in place before the new toll lanes open on I-405 between Renton and Bellevue.

The SR 167 HOT lanes opened in 2008 as a pilot program to test if tolling could be used as traffic management tool. The pilot was one of the first of its kind in the country. At the time, the equipment was state-of-the-art. After 17 years, the equipment has aged and will soon no longer meet the needs of our system or our customers.

Like all systems, tolling equipment must be regularly updated so it continues to work reliably. Our oldest toll road is the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Earlier this year we updated all the equipment on the bridge for the first time in nearly 19 years. We also monitor other roadways as they age to make sure the equipment still meets our needs. We will consider equipment updates on those roads as needed.

Close call: Work zone crashes a growing danger for road crews

By Scott Klepach

Kevin Nicholson was getting ready to settle in for the night when his work phone suddenly rang. He knew something was off to get a call in the middle of the night.

It was Oct. 15, 2023, and the night shift had already started. At the time, Nicholson was a highway maintenance supervisor for our Cle Elum area team on I-90. The call was from his crew telling him there was a collision in Cle Elum involving a semi-truck carrying cold storage food. The semi had struck the guardrail and rode down the barrier along a bridge. Finally, its trailer jackknifed.

Nicholson quickly arrived on the scene. Crews closed off the right lane of westbound I-90 and waited for the tow truck to arrive. WSDOT maintenance crews also help with debris clean-up and traffic control during and after crashes.

WSDOT maintenance crews keep I-90 near Cle Elum closed longer after a semi-truck struck a Road Warrior that had been set up to protect crews clearing debris from an earlier crash.

Nicholson and his crew started clearing the road of debris so the front-end loader could get there quickly. But that’s when another semi-truck crashed into our rig in a closed work zone.

A second collision

The truck ran into our Road Warrior vehicle. These vehicles are placed in advance of the closed work zone. They have warning lights and flashers to alert travelers of a crash ahead. These vehicles help deter the public from entering the work zone and help protect the crew members if someone does drive into the work zone.

Nicholson remembers vividly hearing the secondary semi-truck crash. In addition to the Road Warrior truck, a WSP trooper vehicle was also struck. Two troopers were sent to the hospital with minor injuries. Our Road Warrior fuel tank was ruptured by the impact. That second incident resulted in an extended closure of the highway, with one lane being closed for several more hours. We often hear from travelers frustrated by being stuck in a backup. Especially when injuries occur. The Washington State Patrol needs to meticulously investigate the cause of the crash and allow first responders to provide medical assistance to victims. Then we work to reopen the roadway as quickly and safely as possible.

A WSDOT Road Warrior was positioned as a protective barrier for maintenance crews clearing debris from an earlier crash when a semi-truck drove through the work zone, causing a second collision on I-90 near Cle Elum in October 2023. The crash damaged the Road Warrior and ruptured the fuel tank.

“Unfortunately, we see this kind of thing a lot as we set up a work zone,” Kevin said, adding that driving behaviors have worsened over the last several years. “We see people driving upwards of 80 miles per hour or greater on our highways, barreling into work zones, distracted or under the influence. That puts everyone at risk.” WSP reports speeding and erratic driving have increased.

We work closely with WSP, who is the enforcement agency for state highways on coordinated public emphasis and safety campaigns. This can mean additional patrols for things like DUI and chain-up requirements during winter. This helps keep everyone safe and able to get to where they need to go.

Increase in speeding and erratic driving puts everyone at risk

Nicholson says his crew notices that people drive better if they see red and blue flashing lights. WSP has begun pulling vehicles over more often for speeding and driving distracted (like cell phone use).

In 2024, there were 246 citations issued for distracted or inattentive driving in state road work zone crashes. In 2024, the total number of work zone-related crashes increased from 1,377 crashes in 2023 to 1,607 crashes. That’s an increase of 17%. The most significant rise was in serious injury crashes. These crashes increased by 36% from 2023 to 2024. Our crews say they regularly see drivers looking at their phones. Drivers are sometimes texting or even watching shows as they blow past signs about slowing down or stopping – which puts everyone on the road at risk.

Work zone crashes aren’t just dangerous for our workers. They’re also dangerous for travelers. Statistically, in Washington travelers are more at risk in work zones than the workers. In 2024, 96 percent of Washington roadway work zone fatalities and injuries were to drivers or their passengers. Also, traffic fines are doubled in work zones, so speeding drivers could also face hefty fines.

Changes to work zones for increased safety measures

We are working in-house and with construction, union, contractor, and legislative partners to improve safety in work zones for everyone. We are taking new and additional steps in designing some of our work zones. We’re also looking into new safety equipment and approaches. We will continue to schedule more projects during daylight hours. We now combine projects, when possible, to reduce the number of times our crews are exposed to traffic. You’ll also see more closed lanes and longer work zones to create more of a buffer between workers and active traffic. These actions can increase congestion on major routes, and we know they are not popular with travelers. However, we must prioritize worker and traveler safety and balance these needs cohesively.

Why does this matter? According to Jason Pratt, a maintenance operations superintendent, driver behavior needs to change.

“We give travelers multiple warnings of an upcoming work zone or crash site,” says Pratt. “More often than not, they don’t pay attention and that is really unfortunate because it puts everyone at risk.” For this incident, he said the night crew had already installed a large message board sign 14 miles prior to the incident that warned travelers. There were also several pre-warning signs closer to the scene where the right lane was blocked.

A semi-truck is damaged after running into a WSDOT Road Warrior causing a second crash scene.

Far too many of our workers have had close calls, serious injuries and even deaths in our work zones. It’s hard to find a crew that hasn’t had an injury or numerous close calls. Most road workers can recount incidents where they had to take action to avoid tragedy due to drivers entering work zones. We have had 61 workers killed on the job - many in marked work zones. We hope we never have to add another name to this list.

Safety is paramount

Our crews have regular safety discussions before and after their work using what is called Take 2 for work activities like patching potholes or bridge cleanings. It’s designed to let crews speak up, ask questions and promote safety not just for themselves, but everyone involved on the job and travelers who may enter the area.

“We have a strong team environment,” Nicholson says. “Our crews notice what doesn’t seem right and are equipped to ask questions. We want everyone to go home to their loved ones at the end of their shift.”

We ask all drivers in work zones to:

• Slow Down – drive the posted speeds, they’re there for your safety
• Be Kind – our workers are helping to keep you safe and improve the roadways
• Pay Attention – both to workers directing you and surrounding traffic
• Stay Calm – expect delays, leave early or take an alternate route if possible; no meeting or appointment is worth risking someone’s life

Nicholson noted the crashes that day could have been much worse. Thankfully no one died, but our crews and partners are always on the alert for what is coming down the road. Do them a favor by slowing down in work zones, putting the phone down and never driving under the influence.