Snoqualmie Pass work will cause I-90 delays

Drivers face delays of up to two hours or more on Snoqualmie Pass next week when crews close one lane of eastbound Interstate 90 for six days straight in preparation for opening a brand new section of highway.

The Washington State Department of Transportation and contractor crews will close the lane from 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, to pave transitions between the old and new lanes.

"If you plan to travel eastbound over Snoqualmie Pass next week and want to avoid long delays, plan ahead and make sure you are over the pass before noon or wait it out and travel after 9 p.m. if possible," said Bob Hooker, WSDOT assistant project engineer. "We understand that the delays are going to be inconvenient, but it's going to be well worth it when these improvements are complete."

On Oct. 21, the 30,000 drivers who travel over the pass every day will get to try the new, wider and safer eastbound highway and bridges between Hyak (milepost 54) and Rocky Run Creek (milepost 57).

WSDOT provides travel graphs online to help drivers decide the best time to travel over I-90 next week near Easton and Hyak to avoid long delays.

This work is part of the $551 million I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East, Hyak to Keechelus Dam project to widen a five-mile stretch of the highway from four to six lanes and improve reliability and safety. The project is scheduled to be complete in fall 2017.

A number of traveler information tools are available to help drivers plan ahead and avoid delays next week:

• Visit the Snoqualmie Mountain Pass Web page to view the traffic-flow map for real-time travel information.

• Check the What's Happening on I-90 Web page or Traffic Web page for region-wide updates.

• Tune into the Highway Advisory Radio at 1610 AM and 530 AM.

• Follow WSDOT on Twitter @SnoqualmiePass.

• Call the I-90 construction hotline at 888-535-0738 or 511.