Travelers through the verdant and oft-misty expanse of Tiger Mountain, take heed: the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is throwing a wrench into your mid-August plans with a full closure of SR 18. According to an official announcement, the shutdown will stretch from 9 p.m. Friday, August 15, to the first light of Monday, August 18, sealing off both directions over the mountain's summit.
Situated between I-90 and Issaquah-Hobart Road, the closure of SR 18 commands attention for its scope; it's not just broad in its stretch but also impactful on traffic flow because only local traffic to Southeast 104th Street will be permitted south of I-90 during the closure, leaving no passage over Tiger Mountain summit. For folks taking semi-trucks out for a spin, the suggestion is to bypass via I-405 and I-90 – and steer clear of Issaquah-Hobart Road and the streets within Issaquah, which are ill-equipped to handle freight traffic.
This is more than just shutting down a road; it's about progression in infrastructure. Contractors will be ensconced in advancing the I-90/SR 18 Interchange Improvements project, which aims to deck out SR 18 with fresh lanes between Lake Creek and Deep Creek, adding to the existing tapestry of the road. Activities will include laying down a final asphalt layer, milling, grinding, and guardrail installations.
There's an overlap with the usual SR 18 maintenance endeavors; the annual once-over this year rolls into the same weekend, intending to streamline the disruptions. Crews will be busy repairing guardrails, giving signs a visibility boost, managing vegetation, repaving, and performing those all-essential safety checks. The aim is to interlace this with the enhancements project, thereby curbing the number of times drivers will find their paths closed over Tiger Mountain.
WSDOT plans for the new lanes on SR 18 to be in harmony with the recently commissioned I-90/SR 18 diverging diamond interchange, a duet that will hopefully sing a tune of smooth traffic flow and heightened safety come fall 2025. For those seeking to navigate these changes in real-time, North Bend's official alert stands as a beacon of current travel information.
