The King County Council and King County Executive are joined by the Rainier Beach High School boys basketball team.
On Tuesday, the King County Council was joined by a special group of high schoolers—the Rainier Beach High School boys basketball team! We were honored to recognize the Vikings with a proclamation celebrating an extraordinary 2026 season, in which they captured the Metro League, SeaKing District, and WIAA Class 3A State Championships, finishing with an incredible 29–1 record.
The team’s success was driven by standout performances from players like JJ Crawford, Tyran Stokes, and tournament MVP Micah Ili-Meneese, and guided by Coach Mike Bethea, who earned his 10th state title. Their dominance on the court reflects not only talent but also discipline and teamwork at the highest level.
Beyond the wins, the Vikings played with purpose—remembering their friends and classmates, Traveiah Houfmuse and Tyjon Malik Stewart, who tragically lost their lives earlier this year and whose absence is felt within the school and throughout the community. Their season is a powerful example of resilience, unity, and excellence, both on and off the court.
Students are our future, and it is always an honor to celebrate their achievements!
Vehicles move through the I-90/SR 18 diverging diamond interchange.
The Interstate 90 and State Route 18 diverging diamond interchange and widening project south of Snoqualmie is nearly complete. Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation are planning at least three extended weekend closures for final paving and striping work. This work is dependent on weather. Construction crews completed an overnight closure on April 1 to set up new overhead signs, and paving is now anticipated to start as early as the evening of April 16. At least one lane will re-open between weekend closures.
Back in 2023, I sent a letter to WSDOT requesting they convene an interagency task force to give cities and other impacted groups input on a traffic management plan so that everyone can plan and adapt to delays and congestion on SR 18. As a result, the SR 18 Task Force began meeting regularly and many stakeholders have been able to offer feedback and solutions to help alleviate the stress felt by nearby communities.
Directional and full closures There will be two directional closures, one for each direction of SR 18 between I-90 and Issaquah-Hobart Road and a third full closure of SR 18 under I-90 at the I-90/SR 18 interchange.
Before each extended weekend closure, one right lane of SR 18 will close at 9 a.m. Tuesday, two days prior, so crews can begin to remove 8,500 feet of guardrail before paving work begins as early as 9 p.m. Thursday, April 16. At least one lane of SR 18 will reopen 5 a.m. Monday, April 20, while crews continue to reinstall guardrail.
What to expect Closures for paving and striping depend on relatively warm, dry weather. Project engineers will watch the weather closely when determining the precise dates for these closures. This also means that planned closures may be postponed and rescheduled with short notice if precipitation or cold temperatures are in the forecast.
Each of the three extended weekend closures will begin at 9 p.m. Thursday with the roadway reopening with at least one lane at 5 a.m. Monday morning. There will be around-the-clock single lane closures in the days leading up to and after each of these three closures of SR 18 to allow crews to prepare the roadway for paving and work on drainage after paving.
After the two full directional closures, there will also be up to four weekend-long ramp closures, one for each direction at the I-90/SR 18 Interchange, with signed detours via I-90.
When crews finish paving SR 18, there will be an additional weekend-long closure to apply final striping to the highway and ramps. This will consist of a sequence of full directional closures and ramp closures of up to eight hours each, not occurring simultaneously.
Detour options Drivers should follow all signed detours or use alternate routes during these closures and expect significant delays and traffic congestion in the area and near the SR 18 and I-90 interchange.
Freight haulers and truck drivers should avoid Issaquah-Hobart Road and Issaquah city streets, which are not suitable for freight traffic. Truck traffic should use SR 169, I-405, and/or I-90 for all detours.
All people traveling through the I-90/SR 18 interchange during these closures should expect delays and add time to their travel plans. Real-time traffic information is available on the WSDOT app and WSDOT’s statewide travel map and social media channels.
After the closure When SR 18 reopens after the paving and striping finishes, the diverging diamond interchange project should be complete. SR 18 widening is expected to finish in late summer of this year.
Work on this project began in 2023 to install three new bridges, reconfigure the I-90/SR 18 interchange to a diverging diamond and widen over 2 miles of SR 18 from two to four lanes. Other project improvements include new traffic cameras for SR 18 and I-90 and other safety, stormwater, fish passage and habitat enhancements along this busy corridor.
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