Heads up, drivers who frequent the paths that carve through the heart of south King County: you're about to face a shift in your daily navigation. Starting Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 10 p.m., the familiar eastbound State Route 516 loop ramp, which sweeps drivers onto northbound Interstate 5, will shut down, its path destined to undergo reconstruction for four solid months. According to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), this move is critical to the larger SR 509 Completion Project puzzle.
But do not despair—in place of the closed ramp, eastbound travelers will be rerouted to a newly crafted left turn lane, complete with its traffic light right after the I-5 overpass, set to function starting at 4 a.m. the following Wednesday. This new configuration is a temporary fix to allow drivers to safely cross SR 516's asphalt dance floor and slip onto a provisional ramp gunning for the northbound lane of I-5.
The SR 509 Completion Project is a witness to the ambition of infrastructural expansion and progress. This undertaking strives to thread 3 miles of new tolled expressway between I-5 and South 188th Street, skirting the southern extremities of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. As we look ahead, the stage between I-5 and 24th Avenue South is projected to be accessible by 2025. The ultimate phase looks to embroider the remaining 2 miles stretching to South 188th Street with the expectation for the grand mosaic of asphalt and order to be complete by 2029, as per the WSDOT's announcements.
