With this year's busy summer construction season behind us, we're taking stock of the progress made on the I-405/Renton to Bellevue Widening and Express Toll Lanes Project – and what's still ahead. And that includes a revised timeline.
Summer is the most productive time of year for construction in our region. Dry weather creates the right conditions for paving, pouring concrete and other activities that don't mix well with rain. Many types of work simply can't happen during the wet and cold months, so summer is when significant progress is made on much of our work.
For some time, we've been sharing that this project could be ready for use as early as the end of 2025, based on the contractor's contractual date. At this point, while there is no updated construction schedule from the contractor that we have approved, we do know that the end of 2025 is no longer achievable.
Unfortunately, the contractor is not delivering on schedule. WSDOT is doing everything possible to hold the contractor accountable, including taking them to court. That litigation is ongoing.
Based on this summer's progress, we've updated our forecast. We're currently targeting summer 2027 to open the project to traffic. Construction has moved slower than planned, and the contractor has not met key milestones in the contract. At this time, we're continuing to work closely with them to find ways to speed up the schedule while ensuring the project is completed safely, and to the high standard the public deserves.
The improvements from this project will offer more reliable travel choices – helping drivers, transit riders and freight move more efficiently through one of the state's busiest corridors. We know this is disappointing news for those who've been waiting for construction to wrap up and the project's benefits to be realized.
What happens next?
The Renton to Bellevue project is a design-build contract where we hire one company to design and construct the finished product all under a single contract. We are in active litigation with the design-build contractor following delays to the project's completion and claims by the contractor for additional payment that we don't believe are allowed under the contract. Our lawsuit asks the court to determine whether the contractor's claims are valid and seeks compensation from the contractor for failure to complete the project on time.
We do not take the decision to go to court lightly, and it rarely happens. Legal action is never our first choice. We aim to resolve issues through collaboration whenever possible, but we also have a responsibility to safeguard public resources and ensure accountability. We're committed to making sure all contractual obligations are met and the public interest, including financial accountability, is protected.
We will keep the community, and our public agency partners, updated on any new schedule information as it becomes available. Stay informed by subscribing to I-405/SR 167 Program email updates.
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