HYAK – Despite late spring snow storms, work on a number of road-improvements on Interstate 90 east of Snoqualmie Pass will begin next week.

Construction-related lane closures will slow down travelers as contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation build new lanes and bridges, repair existing structures, and fix cracked sections of pavement between North Bend and Ellensburg.

“We don’t have as much construction taking place on I-90 this spring and summer as we have had in the past, but drivers still need to plan ahead, pay attention to work zones and be patient,” said Todd Trepanier, WSDOT regional administrator.

Earlier this week, work resumed on the  I-90 Snoqulamie Pass East project that will build a wider, safer and more reliable stretch of the interstate from Hyak to Keechelus Dam, and from Keechelus Dam to the Stampede Pass interchange. This 7-mile section of the project is scheduled to be completed by this fall, which includes the first wildlife crossing to be built over I-90.

Next month, work will resume to replace deteriorating sections of concrete pavement panels in the eastbound lanes between North Bend and the Snoqualmie Pass summit. Delays are expected when traffic detours around the work zone. Additional concrete panel replacement is schedule to begin between Issaquah and North Bend in mid-May.

Several I-90 interchanges in Easton, Thorpe and Ellensburg will be repaved this summer.

WSDOT has a wide variety of resources to help with trip planning across I-90. Before heading out the door, travelers can find the latest information on the What’s Happening on I-90Snoqualmie Mountain Passand Traffic Alerts pages, and by also following @snoqualmiepass and @wsdot_east on Twitter. Email updates are available, and mobile phone users can sign up for text message alerts by sending the phrase “WSDOT Snoqualmie” to the number 468311.

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