The northbound Steamboat Slough bridge is 98 years old. The southbound bridge is more than 70 years old. It’s time to get inside them and fix the guts.

“They’ve both been around a long time, and they both need to get this work done to make sure that they can continue to function,” Tom Pearce, a communications specialist with the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT), said.

Unlike previous weekend closures, these closures will last four days each, from Friday night through Tuesday night.

“The work that our contractor is doing requires four days,” Pearce said. “They need to get into the bridge and do some mechanical work on the locking mechanism and make sure that everything else is working fine. It just takes time to complete all that work.”

You might not realize it, but maritime traffic relies on this bridge opening.

“These bridges only open about 30 times a year, but federal law does require us to maintain them,” Pearce said. “If marine traffic wants to go through, marine traffic actually has the right of way in this area.”

When the first of these closures is set to happen

The first two four-day closures begin at 11 p.m. Friday night. This will be a closure of the northbound span. Southbound will remain open. The closure will last until 11 p.m. Tuesday. Northbound drivers will still be able to access Smith Island via 28th Place NE.

“During the first two weekends, people will be able to go northbound onto Smith Island on SR 529, but they’ll have to take southbound to leave the island,” Pearce added.

The first two closures will be northbound. This weekend and next weekend. The southbound closures are scheduled for the third and fifth weekends of the month. There will be no work or closures over the Memorial Day weekend.

Approximately 19,000 vehicles use the Steamboat Bridge each day. I-5 is the primary alternate.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for 成人X站 Newsradio. Read more of his stories听here.听Follow 成人X站 Newsradio traffic on听.

For a state that considers itself so green and environmentally forward, we do a terrible job with littering. The Department of Ecology estimates that 38 million pounds of trash ends up on the sides of our roads every year鈥攖hat鈥檚 42% above the national average. A lot of that is dumped there on purpose. suggested that 25% of Washington residents admit to routinely throwing trash out the window.

Who are these people? Who still does this?

Litter not only makes our roads look bad, but it can also be dangerous.

Littering persists despite Washington鈥檚 green goals

Forty percent of and this stuff is really dangerous鈥攃oolers, lumber, household garbage. I鈥檓 sure we鈥檝e all had to swerve into another lane to avoid something flying out of a car in front of us. Another significant source is that quarter of people who just toss cigarette butts, cans, cups, or bags out the window. You might be surprised how many people simply dump their household garbage on the side of the road, or at park-and-rides and rest areas.

It costs the state about $12 million every year to pick up as much trash as it can. That cleanup effort takes state workers away from other important road work, like maintenance and fixing potholes.

WSDOT reports that more than 1,000 tons of trash were picked up last year鈥攖hat’s two million pounds of garbage. That includes more than 300 tons removed from or near homeless encampments.

It鈥檚 a good reminder to keep a small bag in your car and throw everything away when you gas up or get home. There鈥檚 no excuse for tossing anything out of your window鈥攁nd no excuse for failing to secure your load.

The company reported more than $19.4 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2025鈥攁n 18% increase over last year.

The commercial airplanes division led the way with a 75% increase in revenue compared to Q1 2024. It delivered 130 commercial jets, accounting for more than $8.1 billion in revenues. A significant reason for the improved figures is Boeing’s gradual increase producing 737s. The company is still expected to reach 38 per month this year.

The space and defense side didn’t do as well, logging a 9% decrease in revenue. The company is also in a much better place in terms of cash flow, but Boeing is still struggling in that department.

Boeing’s overall loss

Boeing reported a net loss of $37 billion for the quarter, beating Wall Street’s estimates.

“Our company is moving in the right direction as we start to see improved operational performance across our businesses from our ongoing focus on safety and quality,” Kelly Ortberg, Boeing’s president and chief executive officer, said. “We continue to execute our plan, are seeing early positive results, and remain committed to making the fundamental changes needed to fully recover the company’s performance while navigating the current environment.”

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for 成人X站 Newsradio. Read more of his stories听here.听Follow 成人X站 Newsradio traffic on听.

This is the first of four of the 108-year-old bridge this year, and a continuation of two years of work that the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) started last year.

“We have about 22 expansion joints that we are going to be replacing,” Jules Posadas, public engagement lead with SDOT, said. “We did 14 last year, and we have eight remaining this year. Total asphalt paving that we’re going to be doing on the corridor is about over 4,800 feet.”

This is all a part of the improvement project. When the work is done, SDOT will have added 3,000 feet of new sidewalk and built or refurbished 59 accessible curb ramps.

Traffic jams from similar, previous closures

When similar closures happened last summer, they caused major problems. All the surface streets in Fremont, Interbay, Queen Anne, and Ballard were jammed.

“People would go through Ballard anticipating that they could just detour once they got to the Ballard Bridge,” Posadas said. “We’d really just try to advise people this year is to take those detour routes before you get to the downtown core area.”

The primary alternate is Aurora Avenue. Get there well before the closure and try to stay out of the neighborhoods. People living around the bridge were trapped in their own neighborhoods last year.

“We want to be respectful to the neighborhoods and residents that live around the area and also the businesses,” Posadas said.

Unlike last year’s Ballard Bridge closures, transit will not be able to use the bridge this year. Be sure to check with Metro about this project’s impact on your route. Bicyclists and pedestrians will be able to cross during the closures. Boats will still be able to get through, too.

There are four scheduled weekend closures expected through the beginning of June. There are standby weekends in June and July, should any of the closures be postponed by weather.

All the work should be wrapped up by the end of the year.

The bridge will close as early as 7 p.m. on April 25 and remain closed until 5 a.m. Monday, April 28.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for 成人X站 Newsradio. Read more of his stories听here.听Follow 成人X站 Newsradio traffic on听.

During Friday morning’s commute, I noticed a sudden backup on State Route 512 (SR 512) in downtown Puyallup. While checking the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) cameras, I found a bald eagle just sitting in the right lane.

The bald eagle didn’t look injured, I didn’t notice a baby nearby, and at least it was camping in the right lane and not the left.

It sat for several minutes, causing approximately a two-mile backup to South Hill. The bird did not seem concerned at all about the traffic heading by, and the slowdowns it was causing.

A Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper stopped behind it to ensure its protection. When the WSP trooper approached, the bald eagle took off.

Maybe it was a protest for eagle rights. Perhaps it had just eaten a big meal and couldn’t fly. The eagle was unfortunately unavailable for comment.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for 成人X站 Newsradio. Read more of his stories听here.听Follow 成人X站 Newsradio traffic on听.

There are now six security checkpoints at the airport, though only four of them are in operation. The re-numbering is needed as the airport prepares to open a brand new checkpoint at the south end of the main terminal.

“Thursday morning, it’s basically just a signage situation for folks,” Sea-Tac Airport’s Perry Cooper said. “Nothing’s changed from a checkpoint standpoint. You’ve got your favorite one. Still go to that space. It will probably be a new number than what you’re used to.”

The old baggage claim is gone near the international arrivals gate, and the new checkpoint has taken its place. It’s the only security checkpoint on the lower level of the main terminal.

“We’re going to be able to have five checkpoint lanes down here as whereas we only have three on the current checkpoint,” Cooper said. “We’re really excited for it.”

Using the lower level to expand capacity was the only way to do it with such limited space.

“It’s one of those challenges that we have with our small footprint,” Cooper said. “We talked about this for years. We just don’t have space to add another checkpoint on the same level. What we had to do is find a creative way in which we could have another checkpoint increase that capacity.”

So the new Checkpoint 1 is the new checkpoint on the lower level. The numbers go up from south to north, so the checkpoint currently undergoing renovations at the north end will be Checkpoint 6, not 5, going forward.

Looking at the new checkpoints at Sea-Tac Airport

What’s cool about this new checkpoint it takes you underneath the main level and into the middle section of the escalators you use to catch the train.

“You’ll come to a space, after you go through the checkpoint, and you’ll make a decision, with help from our customer service, either to go down to the satellite trains and go to your gates from there, or go up specifically into the Concourse A area and the rest of the terminal,” Cooper shared.

It should take a bunch of passengers out of the main terminal, easing congestion all the way around.

This new southern checkpoint is expected to open in early June. The on the north end should open before Thanksgiving. Cooper said that it will be a game-changer for passengers.

The security checkpoints 鈦︹仼 have new numbers today. This is the new checkpoint 1 at the south end of the terminal, which will open in early June. Yes, it鈥檚 on the lower level.

鈥� Chris Sullivan (@NEWSGUYSULLY)

“We’ll go from 28 lanes to 39 lanes overall, once we get these all back up,” he explained.

How is the airport doing in getting people through the airport?

94% of passengers made it through security in 30 minutes or less last year. That’s up to 98% in the first three months of 2025.

Adding this extra capacity should make a huge difference.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for 成人X站 Newsradio. Read more of his stories听here.听Follow 成人X站 Newsradio traffic on听.

The culvert (fish passage work) between McCleary and Montesano isn’t expected to wrap up before the travel season ends. Five different work zones are affecting both directions of State Route 8 (SR 8) and US 12 along a roughly 18-mile stretch of highway in that area. There are lane closures, and in some places, you’re driving on the opposite side of the road.

During peak travel last year, these closures led to very slow trips along the corridor.

I rolled through the area recently, and the closures look a lot like last year鈥攖hough a lot of work has been completed. The new bridges look good. There’s been a lot of paving, but Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) Cara Mitchell told me there’s still a lot left to do.

鈥淚t is going to be the same as last year,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he good news is we’re getting close.鈥�

Another long summer heading to the coast thanks to culverts

Drivers should expect some changes as the work progresses over the next few months.

鈥淭ravelers will see a shift in the lanes,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淚nstead of being on the inside lanes, they’re going to be moved to the outside lanes. It will still be one lane in each direction. We hope to have the project wrapped up by late summer, early fall.鈥�

The plan is to open sections of the road as they鈥檙e completed鈥攏ot to wait until everything is done.

鈥淪ome are a little bit further along than the others, so it’s going to be piecemeal as they open up,鈥� Mitchell said.

WSDOT is replacing five old culverts along this corridor to improve fish habitat, but Mitchell said the work has other benefits, too.

鈥淲hen we have heavy rains, some of those older culverts were at risk of washing out and creating a lot of headaches for travelers and nearby residents alike,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his actually opens up and gives us more space for water to flow underneath the highways.鈥�

Now to my soapbox: this is your yearly reminder to zipper merge. During those heavy travel times last year, I was flipped off for using the open lane all the way to the merge. I expect similar interactions this year.

鈥淵ou will continue to see zipper merge signs,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淵ou will continue to see a reduced speed limit through the work zones, and we really ask people for their patience. Give yourself that extra time so you don鈥檛 feel the need or the urge to speed, and help keep our workers safe.鈥�

Remember, drivers like me who use the open lane all the way to the closure are not cutting the line. We are not cheating. We are merging the proper way. Please don鈥檛 cut off those drivers. Please let them in. It鈥檚 better for everyone鈥攁nd it reduces congestion.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for 成人X站 Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.听Follow 成人X站 Newsradio traffic on .

Tree removal and high-visibility fencing will be the first steps in widening the freeway and improving the interchanges on that two-mile stretch of freeway. A bunch of gravel and dirt will then be brought in. It will serve as part of the embankment of the new expressway.

SR 167 was supposed to go from where it ends in Puyallup all the way to Interstate 5 (I-5), but funding was cut in the 1980s. The project subsequently died on the vine. Now it’s time to .

Over the next three years, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will build two new bridges, one over North Meridian Avenue and another over Milwaukee Avenue East. The existing bridges at those spots will be converted to on and off ramps from the new expressway.

When will this project end?

The expansion from Sumner to Puyallup should wrap up in 2028, but it won’t open to drivers until 2030. That’s when the four-mile freeway between I-5 in Fife and Puyallup should be finished.

When all is done, SR 167 will go from Renton to the Port of Tacoma. This road will be tolled.

“Improving and modifying this existing section of SR 167 sets the stage to build the new tolled expressway between I-5 and North Meridian Avenue, beginning in 2026,” Puget Sound Gateway Administrator John White said in a WSDOT press release. “When the full 6-mile expressway is complete, travelers can opt for a more direct route between Puyallup and Tacoma with connections to I-5 and SR 509 or continue to use surface streets. The connection will provide a huge benefit to freight traveling between the Port of Tacoma and manufacturing and distribution centers, removing many of them from those local streets.”

The SR 167 extension from I-5 to State Route 509 (SR 509) in Fife and Tacoma is expected to open in 2026.

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May 7 is the deadline for having . Without it, you won’t be able to get on a plane or visit many federal buildings, like courthouses or military bases. A Washington driver’s license is not acceptable because our state doesn’t require proof of citizenship or other information; however, the state’s enhanced driver’s license is.

I had to wait about two weeks to get an appointment to get mine, and that was in January. Appointments now are running about two months out at many popular locations, which might leave you out of luck.

“It depends on the office location,” the Department of Licensing’s Thomas Charlson said. “We’d suggest looking at our appointments to see if there are any available in the area. I know at least with the Seattle area, appointments may be hard to come by.”

The best way to get a real ID

You can still walk-in to any location and wait, but that will likely take a while.

“If you’re not seeing an appointment and you waited to the last minute, you can also still walk into one of our offices,” Charlson said. “I’d suggest there, to also plan ahead. We do have estimated wait times on our website that give you an idea of how long it’s going to be to get into the office.”

The best option could be standing outside the office as soon as it opens. Getting your name on that walk-in list early will likely save you several hours.

Not many Washingtonians have an enhanced license

Only 26% of Washington drivers have an enhanced license, but Charlson said that number has been going up.

“In January, more than 36,000 people were trying to upgrade, and then in February, it was more than 32,000 people trying to upgrade to an enhanced driver’s license,” he said. “So we are, we are seeing an increase.”

This being said, if you have some other form of acceptable federal ID, there’s no need to rush out and get an enhanced license.

“You don’t have to get an enhanced driver’s license if you don’t want one,” Charlson said. “You could still get a US passport, US military ID, tribal ID, Permanent Resident Card, and听 all of those options work.”

The Real ID Act was supposed to take effect years ago. It has been delayed and postponed for a decade as states and consumers have been slow to adopt it. The act was passed in 2005 as a way to make flying safer in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Will TSA actually turn you away on May 7?

I had a few 成人X站 Newsradio listeners ask me if the TSA would really be turning people away if they didn’t have an acceptable form of ID. You can imagine what the airport might look like on May 7 with thousands of flyers being turned away. I asked the Seattle TSA what to expect when the Real ID Act takes effect.

This is what the TSA sent me in an email:

Officials with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) continue to remind the public that starting Wednesday, May 7, 2025, every air traveler 18 years of age and older must have a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver鈥檚 license, state-issued identification card or another acceptable form of ID to board a commercial aircraft.听 nce enforcement begins, travelers who do not have a REAL ID-compliant state-issued credential or another acceptable form of ID can expect delays when they arrive at the TSA security checkpoint. The length of the delay will be determined by the number of other travelers who do not have a REAL ID-compliant credential, or another form of identification accepted by TSA for identity verification.

TSA has a听听beyond a state-issued driver license or identification card that can be presented at the security checkpoint for identity verification. Some examples of alternate forms of acceptable identification are a U.S. passport, U.S. passport card; Department of Homeland Security Trusted Traveler card including a Global Entry or SENTRI card; active duty and retired military ID including IDs issued to dependents; and the Transportation Worker Identification Credential.

Congress passed The REAL ID Act in 2005, enacting a recommendation from the 9/11 Commission that established minimum security standards for state-issued driver licenses and identification cards. The Act further prohibited federal agencies, including the TSA, from accepting state-issued driver licenses or identification cards that do not meet the minimum standards.

REAL ID is intended to improve the reliability and accuracy of driver licenses and identification cards while inhibiting the ability of terrorists and others to evade detection by using fraudulent identification.”

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The new is taking shape, just north of the original, on I-5. This weekend, the contractor is installing 13 massive girders over the freeway that will serve as the new overpass.

“These 200,000-pound girders, a total of 13,200,000 pounds each, has to be picked up from trucks and then placed up above where they will rest and provide the new overpass backbone,” Doug Adamson, assistant communications manager with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), said.

The contractor needs to , both Friday night and Saturday night, to make this happen.

“This is for safety,” Adamson said. “These are huge pieces of steel and concrete that we’re suspending in mid air above the active lanes of I-5. That’s why we can’t have people in the area at that time.”

What will the closures look like?

All traffic will be diverted off the freeway during these nighttime closures.

“We’ll begin lane closures northbound and southbound I-5 at 8 p.m., but at 10 p.m., we’ll divert all of I-5, both north and southbound lanes, through the exit and the on ramp at Steliacoom-DuPont Road,” Adamson said.

Even though these closures are happening overnight, Adamson said they have the potential to create extended delays.

“We will keep traffic moving, but it’s not going to be easy,” Adamson said. “Everyone is going to go through the exit and the on ramp, both northbound and southbound I-5, and while we do this, we anticipate miles-long backups.”

WSDOT is building this new interchange to accommodate all the growth at Joint Base Lewis鈥揗cChord (JBLM) and the surrounding communities. It will also get rid of the train trouble at the current off-ramp. There is an at-grade crossing just off the freeway. This new overpass will go over the tracks.

“This new overpass replaces one that was built in 1957, and it is rated in poor condition,” Adamson said. “It doesn’t meet our current earthquake standards.”

This project also includes extending the HOV lane from where it ends near this interchange to Mounts Road. The old overpass will also be taken down.

“We are anticipating to have everything buttoned up and done by the fall of next year,” Adamson said.

The overnight lane closures are scheduled for the next two weekends.

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People from Tacoma and Olympia will no longer have to drive all the way up to Southcenter, then head into the airport via State Route 518. A direct State Route 509 (SR 509) Expressway is set to open in October, connecting I-5 to Burien. That’s what all the construction near I-5 and the Kent Des-Moines Road has been about the last few years.

But this direct route will be tolled. The Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) is out with its toll recommendations for the corridor.

The rates would range between $1.20 and $2.40 depending on time of day, much like we see on State Route 99 tunnel and State Route 520,” WSTC Deputy Director Carl See said. “There’s set rates for different times of the day.”

But for the first time in state tolling history, the max tolls will be directional. See said drivers will only pay that $2.40 max going northbound in the morning or going southbound in the afternoon.

“It’s something that showed up in the analysis as being distinct on these facilities,” See said. “We carried it forward in the rate-setting process to incorporate that variability by direction.”

I asked See if he was concerned that the public doesn’t really know that this new expressway will be tolled. He said that’s why the commission plans to adopt the final rates in June.

“This will provide that time for WSDOT to do the communications and marketing necessary to prepare the public for not just that toll rates are coming but what they will be and how to use the facility,” See said.

The public’s opportunity to provide feedback

The public has a chance to give the commission some feedback on the rates and the future of tolling. There are next week, and an is up right now.

The commission is considering whether vehicles with three or more axles should pay more on this SR 509 Expressway to the airport and whether a low-income toll option should be included. You can provide feedback on those ideas as well.

“That feeds into this process where we really dial up the public input opportunities and hone in on those options to see what are viable for going forward,” See said.

This toll-setting process also involves the direct connection between I-5 and the Port of Tacoma, which is part of the State Route 167 expansion. It’s not set to open until December 2026. These projects make up what’s called the , which will eventually connect I-5 and Puyallup.

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I received an email from Jerry in Stanwood last week. He was fired up for sure. He wrote, “The city council put up 14 cams around town to check speed, tabs, warrants etc. … people are irate!!!”

I was intrigued. So, I rolled up to Stanwood to take a peek alongside Stanwood Police Chief Jason Toner.

Stanwood . They are on the main roads into and out of the city, but they are not speed cameras or red light cameras or money makers. They are part of a , which reads the license plate of every car that passes by them and gets pictures of the back bumper and other identifying features like make and model.

Sounds kind of ominous, but more than 70 cities in Washington use this system. And the Big Brother concern isn’t lost on Chief Toner.

“I mean, that’s a legitimate concern,” he said. “Is it too much big brother? Too much government watching all the time? That’s not what we want.”

Stanwood installed the cameras to make up for having a small department. There are only 10 officers, including the chief, on the force, including only one working the night shift. It’s a way to use technology to make the community safer.

“Most of the property crime that is committed in Stanwood is done by people that come from outside of our community,” Chief Toner said. “It was just a way to build a visible fence, so we know when somebody’s coming into our community that’s up to no good, we have a little bit of notification.”

“We are happy to have the new Flock Camera technology in Stanwood,” Stanwood Mayor Sid Roberts said in an email. “Our community is safer with it, and those who would come here with crime in mind might want to think twice.”

So how does the Stanwood license plate camera system work?

“It’s not video surveillance,” Toner said. “It’s basically a camera taking a bunch of still photos of vehicles on the road, and with machine learning, it categorizes those vehicles by license plate, make, model, amount of bumper stickers.”

There is no live video feed, and there is no tracking. For example, a stolen car gets picked up on the camera.

“Our officers working on the west side of town, and somebody comes in on the east side of town with a stolen vehicle, they’re alerted of that,” Toner said. “They can go to that area and hopefully either catch or deter any future crime.”

And it’s already working. Toner said the system helped nab a suspected thief.

“I was pretty amazed,” he said. “Within the first week, someone that had victimized our community several different times for $1000-plus worth of merchandise we were able to hold them accountable.”

In that case, the suspect’s car had a distinctive bumper sticker that the victim’s camera system caught during one of the thefts. The Flock System alerted when a similar car with the same bumper sticker came back to town. Officers checked it out, and the suspected thief was busted.

For Toner, the early success shows the system can be really helpful.

“There’s no facial recognition. It’s not any like speed cameras or red light cameras, nothing like that,” Toner said. “The data is deleted after 30 days, so we don’t keep a database of anybody’s movements throughout the city. It’s just for investigation purposes or letting us know when somebody that has already committed a crime and is in the system comes into town.”

It will also notify officers when a car involved in an Amber Alert or a Silver Alert enters the area.

Stanwood has the system on a two-year contract. If it doesn’t pan out after that, the city could drop it.

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Climate Pledge Arena didn’t exist. The games were played at Key Arena. South Lake Union was in the middle of a massive transformation from industry to high-tech. Road diets were just getting going. Big Bertha was two years away from breaking through the new tunnel under the city. Two-way traffic was just starting on Mercer Street.

While there are more options to get to the games these days, it’s still not going to be easy to get around.

First, the good news. The games are being played on Friday and Sunday. Friday’s are usually a little lighter when it comes to traffic volumes. That should make the drives for the rest of us a little easier, but you should expect a lot of congestion on Interstate 5 (I-5) at the Mercer off-ramps. People driving to the games still have to go that way.

Light rail users should expect a lot more company getting into downtown Seattle from both the north and the south. Commuters will be sharing their trains with basketball fans. You should see the same thing on the Monorail, South Lake Union Streetcar, and potentially the Sounder.

For fans staying in downtown Seattle, the Monorail just might be your best option.

Related on MyNorthwest: Seattle hosts March Madness first and second rounds — game schedule, tickets and more

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As a Snohomish County resident who travels I-5 north of Everett a lot, I have been waiting on this for years. The drive between Everett and Marysville can be one of the worst in the state. It can back up at any time of day and on any day of the week. I’ve run into five-mile backups on Sunday mornings.

Here’s why.

You have all of the on-and-off merging between I-5 and State Route 2 in Everett. Drivers lost a lane at the exit to Marine View Drive, and the HOV lane ended in the same area. All of that traffic being stuffed into the freeway in one area led to long backups to the Marysville exit. And then you added the trains.

Trains and freeways, you ask. Yes. Trains and freeways.

More from MyNorthwest: Flying out this week? Plan on late night delays to Sea-Tac Airport

Downtown Marysville will soon be easier to get to

I’ve lost count of how many times I exited I-5 at Marysville only to be stuck by a train. Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) Tom Pearce described the train trouble.

“About a thousand feet off the off-ramp, there’s a railroad crossing, and it’s fairly heavily used,” he said. “Any time a train goes through there, the road is stopped, and we get backed up onto I-5. With the new ramp, people are going to be able to get into downtown Marysville and avoid that rail crossing.”

The new ramps from I-5 to 529 should open late spring or early summer. That will give you an option to get off of I-5 without any train trouble.

This will mark the end of that saw the extension of the HOV lane from Everett to Marysville, turning the Marine View Drive exit into a through lane plus those new on and off-ramps.

All of these improvements should make a big difference. Checking the math: that’s four lanes from Everett through the Marysville exits, including that HOV lane.

WSDOT did not extend the HOV lane in the southbound lane because that corridor didn’t suffer from the same congestion.

Pearce and WSDOT have a big thank you for people who have lived through the years of construction.

“The work has been a real pain for all the people that commute up there,” Pearce said. “We do appreciate that. We’re going to have a real improvement for them once we get these ramps open.”

You can expect construction closures over the next few months as WSDOT finishes the work.

The next big one will be next weekend when the I-5 south exit to 529 will be closed.

More from MyNorthwest: Increasing tolls and ferry fares before the Washington State Transportation Commission

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for 成人X站 Newsradio. Follow him on . Follow 成人X站 Newsradio Traffic on . Submit news tips here.

“The July 2026 opening date you refer to for the I-405 Renton to Bellevue express toll lanes is actually only the date used for traffic and revenue forecasting. This financial work uses a more conservative date to ensure we鈥檙e not overestimating the amount of revenue the express toll lanes might generate.”

Drivers are going to have to wait a little longer for the construction to wrap up on Interstate 405 (I-405).

The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced that the between Bellevue and Renton won’t open until July 2026. The lanes were anticipated to open late this year. WSDOT also announced that the southbound express toll lanes on State Route 167 (SR 167) won’t go active until 2030.

Positive news for south-end drivers, though. WSDOT expects to open the (SR 509), from Interstate 5 (I-5) at 212th in Kent to 188th in Burien. This will also be a tolled road. The toll rate-setting process is about to get underway. The proposed tolls would be viable by the time of day, ranging between $1.20-2.40.

The new SR 167 extension from I-5 in Fife toward the Port of Tacoma is expected to open in December 2026. That will also be a tolled facility, with tolls potentially running from $1-3.

The Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) is about to start the rate-setting process for all these tolled roads. It’s possible the max tolls on I-405 could go up to $18. The rates just went up to a $15 max last March.

Related on MyNorthwest: Increasing tolls and ferry fares before the Washington State Transportation Commission

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Let’s start with the ferries. The fares just went up in October, and the state is already looking at , which could take effect in October of this year. While 2024 ridership was up 2.5% over 2023, it is still just 79% of 2019 levels.

As we have seen since the pandemic, passenger ridership continues to drag down the overall number. It is just 74% of 2019 levels, while vehicle ridership is running at 86% of 2019 levels.

We should get the potential fare increases in June. Today is the start of that fare conversation.

Toll increase coming to SR 99

We’re expecting WSTC to approve an increased toll in the State Route 99 (SR 99) tunnel today. The toll rate is expected to go up by 3%. The commission will be voting on that. The tolls inside the tunnel are expected to go up 3% every three years.

The future of tolling on Interstate 405 (I-405) between Bellevue and Renton and on State Route 509 (SR 509) and State Route 167 (SR 167) will also be discussed today. The two-lane express toll lane on I-405 is expected to open late this year or early in 2026.

There has been talk of increasing the rates, including the max toll rates to $18 along that corridor. The max went up to $15 a year ago. The SR 167 HOV lane between Sumner and Auburn is expected to become a toll lane when 405 is finished to complete the 50-mile tolled facility from Lynnwood to Sumner. The commission is talking about those tolls today as well.

When that happens, everyone will need a Flex Pass to declare HOV or toll on that corridor. That should eliminate a lot of the HOV and HOT lane cheating on SR 167. But when that corridor is complete, it’s expected that segmented tolling would begin as well. That means you would pay multiple times on your drive if you drive through different segments.

You would pay one toll from Lynnwood to Bellevue. You would pay a second toll from Bellevue to Renton and a third toll from Renton to Sumner. If you hit the max each time, which isn’t likely but possible, you would pay $48 for the trip.

The HOV requirements also could go up to 3+ in a lot more areas.

What’s new with the US 2 trestle?

WSDOT has been talking about a trestle replacement for a decade or more. The original bridge was built in the 1930s. It served both directions. A new westbound trestle was completed in 1969. The original bridge, which was eastbound, was replaced in 2001. Now it鈥檚 time to replace the westbound trestle.

Today, the commission will get an update on that just wrapped up. Backups and elevated travel times top the list of complaints from the daily users. The lack of detours is also another big issue. Safety and lack of shoulders on the trestle also contribute.

There were 644 crashes on the trestle between 2018 and 2022.

With the projected growth in the area, State Route 2 (SR 2) just needs more capacity.

There is an expected 241% increase in households on the west side of the trestle through 2050. There is an anticipated 112% household increase on the east side of the trestle.

But don’t get your hopes up. A final report on what to do isn’t expected for more than a year.

I know I have had at least three, and the scammers appear to be getting better. At first, the texts had actual dollar amounts that I supposedly owed. The amounts didn’t make sense, and the links had the wrong URL for .

The bad guys are now including the real ! URL in their messages, which are threatening legal action if you don’t respond. The URL is followed by a bunch of random letters, which is a dead giveaway, but these texts are looking more and more real.

This latest scam asked me to reply with a Y, for yes, to the text and then copy the URL and put it in my web browser.

Remember, the state tolling division does not send payment requests by text. They certainly don’t threaten you with legal action. Do not be fooled. Delete and report them immediately.

Related on MyNorthwest: WSDOT warning 鈥楪ood to Go鈥� customers of more scams via text message

WA underfunding road maintenance — again

Now that we know how to detect Good To Go! scams, it’s time to look at how legislators in Olympia have chosen to under-fund maintenance and preservation on the roads. Washington ranks No. 47 out of 50 states for overall cost-effectiveness and condition of a state’s roads, according to the latest , a libertarian think tank.

Please tell me if this sounds familiar to my reporting earlier this year: Washington ranks dead last in this survey when it comes to spending money on maintaining our roads. As we have talked about a lot lately, the state Legislature has made it a point to under-fund maintenance and preservation in our state. The funding runs approximately a billion dollars under what’s necessary every year.

Washington was No. 35 on this list just six years ago.

Related on MyNorthwest: Washington faces transportation funding crisis but road usage charge still iffy proposition

Worst commute in WA

The last thing on my list I wanted to discuss is determining the worst commute in the state.

I know I could come up with a decent list for this, but a revealed the worst commute in every state. It was pitched as what commute makes you rethink your life choices.

The worst in Washington, according to this survey, is the commute between Seattle and Bellevue on the State Route 520 Floating Bridge. I’m not sure if that’s related to the 20 years of construction or just the trip.

Second on the list was anywhere on Interstate 5 between Tacoma and Everett.

Check out more of Chris鈥� Chokepoints听here. You can also follow Chris on听.听听to follow 成人X站 Newsradio Traffic鈥檚 profile on X.

The state starting thinking about fish barriers in the 1990’s. No one really worried about fish habitat as the roads were being put down. In 2001, 21 local tribes sued the State of Washington to restore access. A that the state must remove 90% of the barriers .

There are over 4,000 highway crossings on fish bearing waters in Washington. Over 2,000 are believed to be blocking historical fish habitat.

“The injunction is very specific to generally Western Washington, and there’s about 1000 barriers in that area that are subject to the injunction that we need to correct,” said Kim Rydholm, who is in charge of the fish passage program for the Washington Department of Transportation.

WSDOT really started ramping up its culvert replacement over the last ten years, and Rydholm said they’ve gotten a lot done. “As of June 2024, we’ve corrected 146 fish barriers that are subject to the injunction,” she said. We have about 350 remaining barriers to correct in order to get to that 90% of restorative access to habitat.”

Related from MyNorthwest: Chokepoints: Arlington fish passage to cause year-long I-5 delays

Fish passage opens up hundreds of miles of habitat

Removing those 146 barriers has opened up 571 miles of fish habitat.

I have reported on many of these fish passage projects. Many of the creeks or streams don’t seem like they would have many fish in them, so how does the state choose which ones to hit first?

Opening up the most potential fish habitat is the most important.听 “The injunction also requires that we correct barriers with the highest habitat gain earliest in the program, and it really is the right thing to do to get the most out of the investment, Rydholm said.

The second priority is fixing culverts that are damaged or in bad repair.

Is it working and how is success measured?

You would think that success would be the return of salmon and steelhead runs to every creek fixed.听听That isn’t how WSDOT measures the work.

“Really success to us is that the WSDOT fish barrier is corrected, and then it remains, fish passable,” Rydholm said.听 “We have anecdotal evidence of salmon returning to the site, but we’re really focused on the work that we’re doing to make the site fish passable.”

The price to fix less than half of the barriers under the federal injunction is already $4 billion. That was the original estimate for the entire process. Finishing the work is going to take a lot more.听 “We have identified that we need an additional about $5 billion in order to deliver our current delivery plan,” Rydholm said. “We still are very focused on our current plan. We are still doing as much of the work as we possibly can given the amount of funding that we have.”

More from MyNorthwest: Chokepoints: Answers to listener鈥檚 FAQs regarding I-5鈥檚 express lanes

Money could be found in this legislative process

How will the legislature find that money? Maybe we’ll get some answers this session, as the budgeting process is now underway.

The other issue is the state is getting less and less habitat as it moves down the barrier priority list.听 “As we get down the list, there is lower and lower habitat,” Rydholm said.听 “However, those streams are still valuable to salmon habitat and salmon migration. So while there is less and less habitat that we are getting as a result of removing our fish barriers, there’s still value in those streams.”

The state removed 32 barriers last year. The most in a single year so far. But it’s pretty clear that the state will not reach the 90% threshold by 2030, as the court injunction requires.

But there could be some wiggle room in that deadline. The tribes and the state recently went to federal court to request mediation in this case.

It’s too soon to speculate on what that might mean.

Check out more of Chris鈥� Chokepoints听here. You can also follow Chris on听.听听to follow 成人X站 Newsradio Traffic鈥檚 profile on X.

The overnight lane closures on both north and southbound I-5 were set to begin last night. The (WSDOT) is removing the culverts under I-5 and Old Highway 99 just south of State Route 532.

To make room for the work, WSDOT’s Madison Sehlke said contractors will be closing a lane in each direction of the freeway over the next eight weeks to build new bypasses.

“They will be two-lane bypass roads in each direction, so one north and one south,” she said. “They are standard lanes, 12 feet with standard shoulders as well. Once traffic is on the bypass road, there will be a speed reduction to 60 miles per hour.”

The will be to the west of the current main line.

“We’re expecting that the bypass will take eight weeks to complete so that does put us at the end of April or beginning of May,” Sehlke said. “Right in time for our Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.”

The public should expect delays on I-5 for the festival and really any travel for the rest of the year. The freeway is going to remain in this configuration for months.

“This is a two-year project,” Sehlke said. “We’re hoping to have traffic shifted back (on I-5) by the end of December.”

But this is expected to have significant impacts.

“We’re encouraging people to avoid peak times if possible when traveling through the area, but if they are traveling through those peak times expect delays and to factor in extra travel time,” Sehlke said.

When traffic shifts back to the main line of I-5, WSDOT will then close Old Highway 99 for six months. That’s expected in early 2026.

More from MyNorthwest: Fixing the Gorst corner conundrum in Kitsap County

Travel delays and disruptions

So what are we getting in exchange for the travel delays and disruptions?

Replacing the small box culverts that block Secret Creek with giant arches under the freeway will open up about five miles of fish habitat. More than 2,000 feet of the creek is being restored, but WSDOT’s Sehlke said it’s not just about fish.

“Yes, it’s for fish passages, but I like to emphasize that this is a wildlife connectivity corridor, which also benefits the local wildlife in the area,” Sehlke said.

The arch culverts are 68 feet wide, which will create undercrossings for the deer, coyote, bobcat and beaver in the area.

Workers will have to dig down about 80 feet to restore the natural habitat.

Total price tag: $57.5 million.

More from MyNorthwest: Washington bridges suffer while lawmakers underfund maintenance and preservation

Gorst sits between Port Orchard and Bremerton. It’s at the base of the Sinclair Inlet where State Route 16 (SR 16) and State Route 3 (SR 3) meet. Those highways were not designed to handle the amount of vehicles that come through there every day.

“This interchange where SR 3 and SR 16 meet is the nexus of a lot of different highways,” WSDOT’s Mark Kurlish said. “If you are going south to north through Kitsap County and through the Kitsap Peninsula, you will at some point go through this curve.”

The morning commute sees a 58% increase between Port Orchard and Bremerton. The afternoon commute sees a 37% increase in the southbound direction.

“It’s a very small community, so it’s disproportionate, really, to the amount of people that live there,” Kurlish said. “It results in traffic impacts that are a challenge at times.”

It is also dangerous. There were more than 1,100 crashes in the area between 2019 and 2023. The road is dark. It is small. There are no shoulders.

More from MyNorthwest: Washington bridges suffer while lawmakers underfund maintenance and preservation

What’s the plan to fix the traffic in Kitsap County’s Gorst?

WSDOT is in the very . An online public survey has just started, so has some preliminary environment work and outreach to everyone impacted by the eventual plans. That includes residents, commuters, businesses, the local tribes and the U.S. Navy.

And just about is up for discussion.

“We’re in the point of the study where it’s everything but the kitchen sink,” Kurlish said. “We’re looking at everything that we can think of. We’ve screened out very little at this point.”

And Kurlish meant it.

“We’re looking at widening State Route 3,” he shared. “We’re looking at building some kind of bridge over Sinclair Inlet, and we’re also looking at a land bypass, which would be a new road spanning to the west of SR 3.”

There is the potential to take SR 16 and SR 3 and elevate them over the local roads, allowing the through traffic a smoother ride.

WSDOT is asking for your help to guide the process.

“Really what we want from the public right now is we want their input on what we’re looking at,” Kurlish said. “If we bring the public in early to get their feedback, it will certainly help us point in the right direction and point us in the direction that the public wants us to go.”

This early process should be done in about a year. Then it will be up to the state to figure out the best design, working with the local stakeholders. There is no estimate for when the work would begin or when it would be finished. The construction has not been funded.

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