Drivers in Kirkland should plan for a full weekend closure of northbound Interstate 405 as crews continue work on a major interchange project.
Drivers in Kirkland should plan for a full weekend closure of northbound Interstate 405 as crews continue work on a major interchange project.
Beginning at 11 p.m. Friday, all northbound lanes of I-405 will be closed from Northeast 70th Place to Northeast 85th Street.
The lanes are scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. Monday.
"Travelers should expect miles long backups on northbound I-405 and heavier traffic on nearby highways and local streets, as people adjust their routes. People traveling throughout the region should expect longer and less predictable trips. Delays may occur in new places and at new times, and conditions may change week to week as work moves around the region," the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) said in a news release.
WSDOT crews will be working on a project that began in 2022 to improve the I-405 Northeast 85th interchange.
The $234 million project is designed to support Sound Transit’s Stride bus rapid transit connections on Northeast 85th Street and provide direct access to the I-405 express toll lanes.
This map shows detour routes and the closure area for northbound I-405 in Kirkland from Aug. 28-31, 2026. (WSDOT)This weekend’s work is focused on fish protection.
“This weekend we’re going to be installing the second half of the fish passage culvert. We installed the first half on southbound earlier this spring, so putting a hole in the ground and putting in a new culvert,” Craig Smiley of WSDOT said.
WSDOT said the work depends in part on good weather.
The project is expected to wrap up in January.
Sound Transit taxpayer funding is paying the bulk of the $234 million project, including funding tied to the RTA paid by some residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties when renewing car tabs.
Meanwhile, WSDOT said it will be a busy weekend on Washington's roads overall.
In addition to the northbound I-405 northbound closure, the Revive I-5 lane reductions over the Ship Canal Bridge in Seattle continue.
State Route 20 near Campbell Lake Road remains reduced to one lane.
In Vantage, watch for single-lane closures on Interstate 90 on the Vantage Bridge until Labor Day.
To add to the congestion, there are some big events this weekend: the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe, Sounders, Reign and Storm games, and some big concerts, including The Strokes and Noah Kahan.
