The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) began construction on the second phase of the I-90 project east of Snoqualmie Pass. On an average day, 28,000 vehicles travel over Snoqualmie Pass, with traffic numbers doubling on weekends and holidays.
This the second of three phases of the WSDOT project. Phase 2 consists of building a new six lane highway, stabilizing rock slopes, constructing new bridges and culverts, and building a wildlife overcrossing, the first of its kind in the project corridor. Construction is scheduled to be complete in 2019.
The start of this 2-mile section is an extension of the $551 million project funded by the 2005 gas tax to improve 5 miles of I-90 from Hyak to Keechelus Dam, scheduled for completion in 2018. The Legislature allocated funding in the 2013 transportation budget to continue expanding I-90 to the Stampede Pass interchange.
The groundbreaking will cause increased construction-related delays on Snoqualmie Pass. Drivers will experience minor, periodic delays caused by single-lane closures and rolling slowdowns through October 2015.
