UPDATE - Eastbound I-90 long-term lane and ramp closures between Mercer Island and Bellevue begin Sept. 18

Update: This news release was originally published Thursday, Sept. 4. Additional information includes closure timing and an update to the length of the closure.

MERCER ISLAND - People who use eastbound Interstate 90 between Seattle and Bellevue should plan for delays beginning Thursday, Sept. 18, while crews begin bridge repair work as part of the I-90/East Channel Bridge project. The scheduled 16-day, round-the-clock lane reduction and ramp closures also will affect people accessing eastbound I-90 from Mercer Island.

What to expect

From Thursday evening, Sept. 18, to Sunday morning, Oct. 5:

• Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will narrow eastbound I-90 to three lanes between Island Crest Way and Bellevue Way.
  • Eastbound I-90 will be reduced to one lane from 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, to 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 19, as contractor crews set up the work zone.
  • A similar reduction to one lane on eastbound I-90 will take place overnight sometime between Wednesday, Sept. 24, and Friday, Sept. 26, while contractor crews move from the south to the north side of the bridge.
• The eastbound I-90 on-ramp from East Mercer Way will close at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, and remain closed throughout the first half of the project while crews install a new bridge expansion joint on the south section of eastbound I-90. The ramp is expected to reopen in six to eight days (between Sept. 24-26) once crews move to the north side of the bridge.
  • The eastbound I-90 on-ramp from East Mercer Way will also close overnight on the final night of the project. More information related to this closure will be shared toward the end of the project.
• The eastbound I-90 HOV on-ramp from 80th Street will close from 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, to 7 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 5.

About the project

The modular assembly joints on the eastbound I-90 East Channel Bridge are deteriorating and have reached the end of their service life. The joint, which is the original from when the bridge opened in 1988, failed in the right lane in January 2024. Replacing the existing expansion joints will preserve the bridge's structural integrity and extend its service life.

Nearly 75,000 vehicles travel eastbound on the I-90 East Channel Bridge each day.