Greetings. We hope you and yours stayed healthy and well in 2021 and that 2022 brings us all a step closer to resuming our normal lives. The coronavirus pandemic, soon to enter its third year, has brought tremendous challenges and, for many, heart-breaking loss. Experts say the virus could be with us for quite some time yet – perhaps even, like the flu virus, forever. We’ll have to continue to adapt and follow evolving routines for staying safe. We look to the new year with optimism, though, and we’re pleased to report that our teams on the SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program made substantial progress over the past year constructing corridor improvements in Seattle.
We’re sending you this annual “Year in Review” report to recap major project developments in 2021 and look ahead at key work planned for 2022. Replacing SR 520’s seismically vulnerable bridges while adding other important safety, mobility and environmental enhancements is a massive undertaking. We want to keep you informed on what the public is receiving from its multibillion-dollar investment in this multimodal transportation project.
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You’re going to see some notable changes within the SR 520 corridor this year, including expansion both to the east and west of a Montlake lid over the highway. You’ll also see significant construction progress on a new, safer eastbound SR 520 bridge over Union Bay and the structural components of a reversible transit and HOV link between SR 520 and the I-5 express lanes. And we will continue to maintain our commitment to inclusive contracting on all our projects.
We hope you’ll take a few minutes to read this brief report. And as always, we thank you for your interest in the SR 520 Program and your patience as we work to deliver the safety and mobility benefits of an improved SR 520 corridor.
Please let us know if you have any questions. You’ll find ways to contact us farther below.
Here’s to a bright 2022 for you, your family and your friends!
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 Omar Jepperson
Administrator, SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program
 Dawn Yankauskas
Deputy Administrator, SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program
January
- WSDOT hosts our annual Megaprograms Community Partners meeting to connect with community-based contracting advocacy groups and minority-, women-, and veteran-owned business enterprises (MSVWBE) around the region, share project updates and discuss upcoming work opportunities.
February
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Crews work around the clock over two weekends in January and February to place the first 84 concrete girders that create the supporting framework for a landscaped lid and transit hub over the highway in Montlake.
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WSDOT and the Federal Highway Administration complete a National Environmental Policy Act Reevaluation (PDF 1.3MB) for the upcoming SR 520 Portage Bay Bridge and Roanoke Lid Project. This report evaluated several updates to the project’s design, including elements that resulted from years of community design engagement, and found there would be no new significant environmental impacts from the updated design, allowing the project to move forward.
 The Montlake lid begins to take shape as crews set the first 84 girders for the lid’s foundation.
March
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Montlake Project crews set 30 more girders for the Montlake lid over the course of one weekend highway closure.
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SR 520 staff gather survey results from the annual Montlake Project outreach survey. This survey provided an opportunity for community members to tell us what they think about our construction outreach efforts and communications methods.
- The SR 520 and Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement teams hold a virtual contractor meeting to highlight contracting opportunities for small firms owned by minorities, women and veterans.
April
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The Montlake lid begins to take shape as crews complete six nighttime pours of concrete for the lid’s deck.
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The SR 520 floating bridge celebrates its fifth anniversary of opening to traffic on April 25, 2016.
 Left: Crews use a large bridge-deck paver to place concrete for the future Montlake lid above SR 520. This was the first of six nighttime concrete pours for this portion of the lid. Right: Another view of the machine crews used to place concrete for the Montlake lid.
May
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Crews remove underground fuel storage tanks at the former Montlake Market and 76 gas station property, a key step before removing contaminated soil from the site.
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WSDOT awards a $68 million contract to Walsh Construction for the SR 520/I-5 Express Lanes Connection Project, which begins construction later in 2021.
June
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The SR 520 Montlake Project team hosts an online open house and public comment period about construction activities planned for the coming months.
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Crews finish installing a 54-inch-diameter water line beneath SR 520 just east of Montlake Boulevard.
July
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The SR 520/I-5 Express Lanes Connection Project kicks off with a virtual public meeting about this next major phase of SR 520 construction. The project will build a new and better connection between the Eastside and South Lake Union for transit and carpools.
 Left: Crews prepare to shift Montlake Boulevard traffic onto the future freeway lid structure.
Right: Crews remove contaminated soil from the former 76 gas station property in Montlake.
August
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The Montlake Bridge closes for 26 days as contractor crews, working for WSDOT’s Northwest Region, replace the steel grid deck. Montlake Project crews use this opportunity to remove contaminated soil from the former Montlake Market and gas station property, including excavating portions of Montlake Boulevard.
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Crews shift Montlake Boulevard onto the Montlake lid structure, setting themselves up to remove the old overpass and extend the Montlake lid to the west.
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The SR 520/I-5 Express Lanes Connection Project breaks ground.
- In advance of Portage Bay Bridge construction, SR 520 staff submit a Shoreline permit application to the city of Seattle.
 Crews use large gantry cranes to place the first girders for a new eastbound SR 520 bridge over Union Bay.
September
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Crews set the first girders for a new eastbound SR 520 bridge across Union Bay between Montlake and the floating bridge.
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Graham, the Montlake Project contractor, hosts virtual and on-site events for contracting opportunities by firms owned by minorities, women and veterans.
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The SR 520 team participates in a Regional Contracting Forum, connecting state agencies from across the Puget Sound region with small businesses and vendors looking for contract opportunities.
 Left: Crews tear down and remove the old Montlake Boulevard overpass.
Right: Graham Contracting Ltd. holds an on-site event to meet with subcontractors interested in working on the Montlake Project.
October
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Crews remove the old Montlake Boulevard overpass over the course of two days, using an array of heavy-duty demolition equipment.
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The Lake Washington Boulevard off-ramp shifts onto the Montlake lid, allowing crews to remove the old overpass a month later.
November
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WSDOT launches a new website, the first major update in over 15 years, simplifying the site to make finding information easier.
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Crews take down the former Lake Washington Boulevard overpass during a weekend highway closure.
December
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SR 520 staff continue work on design and contract documents for the Portage Bay Bridge and Roanoke Lid Project, looking ahead to start construction as early as 2024.
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Almost 19,000 tons of contaminated soil removed as part of the Montlake Market and gas station property cleanup.
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All 75 support shafts required for the future eastbound bridge installed in the lakebed of Lake Washington.
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194 concrete girders installed to create the Montlake lid and new eastbound lanes across Union Bay.
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Over 1,200 crew members work on the Montlake Project and the SR 520 / I-5 Express Lanes Connection Project to reconstruct SR 520.
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Over 4,400 attendees at SR 520 virtual public meetings.
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SR 520 staff respond to 847 emails and phone messages from community members and field hundreds more live calls on our project hotlines.
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SR 520 staff attend 122 virtual meetings with community and internal partners and advocacy agencies. These partners include the National Association of Minority Contractors Washington, Tabor 100, the American Council of Engineering Companies, and the Minority Business Development Agency.
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137 firms owned by minorities, women and veterans have worked on the SR 520 Program since the 2011 start of SR 520’s reconstruction.
 Map of current and upcoming SR 520 projects. Click on the image above for an enlarged image.
2022 promises to be another big year for the SR 520 Program:
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Montlake Project construction: We will continue to build three new eastbound lanes from Montlake to the floating bridge. Crews will extend the Montlake lid to the east and west, a bicycle and pedestrian bridge will start to take shape over SR 520, and a bike and pedestrian tunnel will be constructed under Montlake Boulevard. As we continue construction, please give us feedback on our outreach efforts! Our annual Montlake Project outreach survey is now open – we’d love to hear from you.
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SR 520/I-5 Express Lanes Connection Project: In the coming year, crews will continue building a new, reversible ramp between SR 520 and the I-5 express lanes for buses and carpools; a new, reversible transit/HOV lane along the I-5 express lanes, running between I-5's interchanges with SR 520 and Mercer Street; and a reconfigured Mercer Street on-/off-ramp to and from the I-5 express lanes for buses and carpools.
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Portage Bay Bridge and Roanoke Lid Project: We’ll continue our design refinement and planning as we prepare to advertise this project in late 2022, award a design-build contract in summer 2023, and launch construction in 2024. Key features include replacing the seismically vulnerable Portage Bay Bridge, building a new community-connecting lid in the Roanoke Park neighborhood, extending the SR 520 Trail across Portage Bay, and providing new stormwater treatment systems to treat bridge runoff.
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Diversity and Inclusive Contracting Program: In 2022 we’ll continue engaging with our community partners to promote contracting opportunities on our two active construction projects. We’ll work with our project teams to make progress on reaching and even surpassing WSDOT’s voluntary goals of 26% participation by minority-, small, veteran- and women-owned business enterprises (MSVWBEs). This goal is broken down into goals of 10% participation by minority-owned businesses, 6% by women-owned businesses, 5% by veteran-owned businesses, and 5% by small businesses.
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Program funding: We want to note that based on 2021 cost estimates, the SR 520 Program needs approximately $600 million in additional funds to complete its two remaining projects. The increased costs are due to updated project scope, engineering refinements, market conditions, and escalation costs from program completion extending by five years. The Governor’s proposed 2022 supplemental budget included an additional $406 million in funding for the SR 520 program. Legislative approval of the Governor’s budget proposal would provide the funding necessary to move forward with the Portage Bay Bridge and Roanoke Lid Project. The Governor’s proposed budget does not include the remaining approximately $200M needed to advance the Montlake Cut Bascule Bridge Project.
Learn more by visiting our project webpages.
 Looking east across the SR 520/Montlake Boulevard interchange, which includes the new Montlake lid under construction.
How to reach us and stay informed about SR 520 construction:
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Call or text our 24-hour hotlines with pressing questions or concerns about each construction project:
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SR 520 Montlake Project: 206-775-8885
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SR 520/I-5 Connection Project: 206-316-2559
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Call the SR 520 Program information line at 206-770-3554, M-F 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. with general SR 520 inquiries.
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Call or email Regina Glenn (425-503-7212), WSDOT Megaprograms Diversity and Inclusion Manager, for more information about contracting opportunities.
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Email SR 520 staff with your questions about the project or construction activities.
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Visit the SR 520 Construction Corner for the most up-to-date information on closures and construction impacts.
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Visit the SR 520 Program website to find general information about our projects.
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Follow us on Twitter @wsdot_520 to get key news and updates about the SR 520 program.
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Sign up for our email updates.
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