Traffic flow through Kirkland has been rerouted for worker safety, officials said.
KIRKLAND, Wash. — As state transportation crews worked on a fish passage project on Interstate 405 in Kirkland, drivers got too creative with their routes for their own safety.
Washington State Department of Transportation officials closed the freeway entrance ramp from Northeast 124th Street and 116th Street in Kirkland to I-405 southbound in response to “dozens of drivers. [going] Wrong way off the on-ramp. “
“This decision was made to protect travelers and workers,” agency officials wrote on social media.
In addition to closing the highway, Kirkland City Council announced updated traffic detours through the closed area.
WSDOT began a fish passage restoration project under I-405 southbound in Kirkland on May 29, closing all lanes and the entrance ramps at NE 116 Street and NE 85 Street. According to the agency, construction crews will build a tunnel through a section of the road for new fish passage. Once the tunnel is complete, the streets will be repaved and striped.
The project is expected to wrap up around 4 a.m. Monday. Until then, southbound I-405 will be closed from the I-405/NE 85th Street interchange to N 70th Place, with detours signed for travelers passing through the area, according to WSDOT.
