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140-717: In 1979, Harvey Manning helped to found the Issaquah Alps Trails Club to care for the trails and to push for public ownership of the Alps. The IATC, which is headquartered in Issaquah (nicknamed "Trailhead City"), conducts frequent guided hikes throughout the Alps. The Issaquah Alps follow Interstate 90 from the shore of Lake Washington almost to the western face of the Cascade Range . The hills are composed of andesitic volcanic rock lying on top of older tightly folded rocks from

280-434: A $ 1.3 billion megaproject . The second phase from Hyak to Stampede Pass included construction of the first wildlife crossing over a Washington highway. The third phase from Hyak to Easton began construction in 2022 and is scheduled to be completed in 2028 due to limited construction seasons. The project includes rock blasting and bridge replacements to accommodate the new lanes. From 1992 to 2017, Interstate 90 had

420-537: A 7.45-mile (11.99 km) network of express lanes from Downtown Seattle to Mercer Island and I-405 in Bellevue, including a set of reversible lanes on the Hadley floating bridge controlled by gates. Prior to their closure, the express lanes carried an annual average of 15,000 vehicles per day. The I-90 reversible express lanes were permanently closed on June 4, 2017, and were replaced by high-occupancy vehicle lanes on

560-741: A combination interchange with I-5 east of the Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood . The freeway continues north as SR 525 , which connects to SR 99 and serves the Mukilteo terminal on the Washington State Ferries system. During early development of the Eastside region in the late 19th century, travel between cities was dependent on boats, including a system of passenger steamboats and ferries on Lake Washington. The first completed railroad on

700-603: A decade. In lieu of the incomplete connection to I-5, I-90 was temporarily routed on I-5 at Dearborn Street eastward onto Corwin Place South, a four-lane undivided road that transitioned into a controlled-access highway at its intersection with 17th Avenue South and South Lake Way before continuing towards the Mount Baker Tunnel . A reversible lane commencing eastward from Rainier Avenue South had been installed in 1960 to handle rush hour traffic, but it increased such that

840-403: A dedicated pedestrian bridge. The freeway continues northwest through residential neighborhoods and gains a set of auxiliary lanes in the shoulder that are opened to northbound traffic during limited periods using a series of overhead signs and restricted to transit use in the southbound direction. I-405 continues northwest, crossing over SR 524 without an interchange, and terminates at

980-528: A major interchange with I-5 at the northwest corner of Beacon Hill and passes under the Jose Rizal Bridge . The freeway wraps around the north end of Beacon Hill and intersects Rainier Avenue at the site of the future Judkins Park light rail station , joined by a multi-use bicycle and pedestrian trail that forms part of the Mountains to Sound Greenway . I-90 travels east into the Mount Baker Tunnel ,

1120-474: A median interchange with Northeast 128th Street in the I-405 HOT lanes near EvergreenHealth 's main medical center. The freeway continues north through Kirkland's residential Kingsgate neighborhood and enters the city of Bothell near an interchange with Northeast 160th Street. I-405's HOT lanes are reduced to one per direction and a northbound braided ramp begins to separate traffic bound for SR 522 ,

1260-697: A minimum of 76,000 at its southern terminus in Tukwila to 209,000 in Downtown Bellevue . Approximately 86 percent of peak-direction lane miles on I-405 are rated as "routinely congested" by WSDOT and the highway accounted for over 30 percent of delays on the Seattle area's urban freeways from 2013 to 2017. The freeway has a system of high-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV lanes) from Tukwila to Downtown Bellevue that become high-occupancy toll lanes (HOT lanes) from Bellevue to Lynnwood . The HOT lanes are controlled through

1400-536: A new route to the already-planned Seattle–Everett freeway (now I-5). The system was approved by the signing of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 , which included funds for upgrading SSH 2A into a freeway. The highway, also known as the Renton Freeway, would follow the new SSH 2A roadway and include a new connection to Lynnwood . Construction of a new alignment for SSH 2A began in 1953;

1540-457: A new study on the freeway's routing at the behest of Deaconess Hospital and other Spokane organizations, including an architect who proposed a route along the city's railroad viaduct. The state highway commissioned announced in September 1960 that it would continue to pursue the 3rd–4th alignment that had been originally chosen, with enhancements to prevent unnecessary noise next to the hospital, at

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1680-420: A piece of public art placed atop a hill to the east. Near Frenchman Coulee and The Gorge Amphitheatre , I-90 turns northeast towards George , where it intersects SR 281 and SR 283 , providing access to Quincy and Ephrata , respectively. The freeway continues due east across rural Grant County, paralleled by a pair of frontage roads , past several sand dunes , state recreational areas , and

1820-589: A rise in local skiing, especially at the ski area operated by the Seattle city government. By the end of the decade, the entire Sunset Highway was paved with either asphalt or concrete. The state highway system was restructured once again in 1937, leading to the creation of primary and secondary highway designations . State Road 2 became Primary State Highway 2 (PSH 2), still retaining its concurrency with US 10; similar carryovers followed for State Road 7 and State Road 11, which became PSH 7 and PSH 11 , respectively. A new highway, PSH 18 ,

1960-535: A series of designated access points and direct ramps located along I-405. Tolls are collected electronically through Good to Go transponders by overhead sensors or via license plate cameras for mail billing with a surcharge. The variable weekday toll rates are set according to traffic congestion, ranging from $ 0.75 to a maximum of $ 10, while weekends and federal holidays are toll-free. HOT lane tolls are waived for high-occupancy vehicles with three or more passengers during peak periods and two or more passengers during

2100-594: A set of tunnels which run under Sam Smith Park and the Mount Baker Ridge neighborhood to Lake Washington ; they are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places . At the east end of the tunnels, traffic continues onto a pair of floating bridges ; the eastbound lanes are carried by the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge , while the westbound lanes, multi-use trail, and future light rail tracks are carried by

2240-461: A toll of 25 cents, reduced the drive to the pass by 14 miles (23 km) and encouraged new suburban development on the Eastside that grew in the following decades. A new section of US 10 between Issaquah and North Bend was also constructed the following year, bypassing the towns of Fall City and Snoqualmie . Upgrades to the Snoqualmie Pass section of the highway began in 1950, expanding

2380-552: A total of $ 15.3 million. The remaining 1.2 miles (1.9 km) from Pine Street to Helena Street, connecting with the Spokane Valley section, began construction in May 1969 and opened in August 1971. A major interchange was constructed adjacent to Liberty Park east of downtown Spokane in 1974 to serve as the terminus of a north–south freeway that was later cancelled. The interchange

2520-585: Is expressed in terms of annual average daily traffic (AADT), a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. A section of I-90 in Bellevue's Eastgate neighborhood carries a daily average of 150,000 vehicles, making it the highway's busiest. The highway's least busiest section, near SR 21 west of Ritzville , carried 11,000 vehicles in 2016. The freeway has a maximum speed limit of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) in urban areas, 65 mph (105 km/h) in mountainous areas, and 70 mph (110 km/h) in rural areas. Several proposals to raise

2660-564: Is served by a set of auxiliary ramps around the periphery of the I-5/SR ;518 interchange. I-405 travels east across the Green River and intersects Interurban Avenue at the north end of SR 181 , located near the Tukwila train station and Starfire Sports soccer complex at Fort Dent Park . After crossing a set of railroad tracks (part of the BNSF Railway 's Seattle Subdivision and

2800-648: Is the longest freeway in Washington state, at nearly 298 miles (480 km) in length, and is the only Interstate to traverse the state from west to east across the Cascade Mountains . It is listed as part of the National Highway System , classifying important to the national economy, defense, and mobility, and the state's Highway of Statewide Significance program, recognizing its connection to major communities. The Washington State Legislature designated

2940-506: Is the only Interstate to cross the state from west to east, and the only one to connect the state's two largest cities, Seattle and Spokane. It incorporates two of the longest floating bridges in the world, the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge and the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge , which cross Lake Washington from Seattle to Mercer Island . I-90 crosses the Cascades at Snoqualmie Pass , one of

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3080-850: The Alpine Lakes Wilderness while following the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River. At the east end of the arc near the Asahel Curtis Picnic Area, the freeway's westbound and eastbound lanes are split by a wide median that includes the Denny Creek Campground. I-90 continues northeast on two high viaducts and ascends to Snoqualmie Pass , the lowest of the state's three major Cascades passes at an elevation of 3,022 feet (921 m). The pass handles 28,000 vehicles (including 6,500 trucks) on an average weekday, making it one of

3220-735: The American Veterans Memorial Highway , is a transcontinental Interstate Highway that runs from Seattle , Washington , to Boston , Massachusetts . It crosses Washington state from west to east, traveling 298 miles (480 km) from Seattle across the Cascade Mountains and into Eastern Washington , reaching the Idaho state line east of Spokane . I-90 intersects several of the state's other major highways, including I-5 in Seattle, I-82 and U.S. Route 97 (US 97) near Ellensburg , and US 395 and US 2 in Spokane. I-90

3360-594: The Bellevue College campus in Eastgate , I-90 intersects 142nd Place Southeast using direct ramps from its high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. Near the former Bellevue Airfield , I-90 turns southeast to run downhill from Cougar Mountain and along the shore of Lake Sammamish towards Issaquah . At the south end of Lake Sammamish and northwest of downtown Issaquah, I-90 passes through Lake Sammamish State Park and intersects SR 900 . The freeway travels along

3500-573: The Cedar River upstream from the Renton Public Library , the freeway passes through a public park and intersects SR 169 and SR 900 at two separate interchanges. The southern junction, with SR 169, is a partial cloverleaf interchange at Bronson Way, while the northern junction with SR 900 is a half-diamond that also marks the beginning of a short concurrency with the latter. The concurrent I-405 and SR 900 then pass

3640-655: The Cross Kirkland Corridor (part of the Eastside Rail Corridor trail) to the Totem Lake area, where it has three junctions. The southernmost is a half single-point urban interchange with Northeast 116th Street near the Lake Washington Institute of Technology campus, followed by a partial cloverleaf interchange with Northeast 124th Street serving The Village at Totem Lake shopping center, and

3780-725: The Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 were used to pave a gravel surface; some sections in King County were also upgraded with concrete pavement. The Sunset Highway was renumbered to State Road 2, as part of a statewide reorganization of the highway system in 1923; the Vantage segment was retained as part of North Central Highway, renumbered as State Road 7, and the Ritzville–Spokane highway became part of State Road 11. The Sunset Highway became part of two transcontinental auto trails in

3920-536: The Fishtrap Recreation Area and crosses into Spokane County , where it alternates between interchanges with SR 904 and SR 902 , which form loops serving Medical Lake and Cheney , respectively. I-90 and US 395 continue along the south side of Spokane International Airport and enter the city of Spokane , adding US 2 to the concurrency at an interchange near Sunset Hill . The three highways continue along Garden Springs Creek and

4060-729: The Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park , one of the largest collections of petrified trees in the world, before crossing the Columbia River on the Vantage Bridge . The bridge ascends up to the cliffs on the western shore of Grant County , where I-90 intersects SR 26 and turns north along the Babcock Bench. The freeway then passes several scenic viewpoints for Lake Wanapum and the Wild Horse Monument ,

4200-479: The Interstate Highway System . The Seattle–Spokane corridor was designated as part of "Interstate 90", which continued east to Chicago and Boston, superseding US 10 through the northwestern United States. The first section to be completed under Interstate standards was a five-mile (8 km) section through Spokane Valley from Havana Street to Pines Road, which opened on November 16, 1956, and

4340-537: The John A. Finch Arboretum to an interchange with US 195 , located under several railroad overpasses. The freeway continues across Latah Creek into Downtown Spokane , where it travels on an elevated viaduct along 4th Avenue on the south side of downtown. The freeway passes the city's two hospitals ( Deaconess and Sacred Heart ) before intersecting Browne and Division streets, which carry US 2 and US 395 north through Spokane. I-90 then intersects SR 290 at

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4480-664: The Kenworth truck plant and the Renton Landing shopping center near the Boeing Renton Factory before reaching a junction with Sunset Boulevard, which carries SR 900 east towards Issaquah . From downtown Renton, I-405 narrows to six lanes and climbs over Kennydale Hill and descends down May Creek. The freeway, now closely following the shore of Lake Washington and the Eastside Rail Corridor trail, passes

4620-564: The Marketplace at Factoria shopping center and the headquarters of T-Mobile US before it reaches a full stack interchange with I-90 , which provides access to Seattle , Mercer Island , Eastgate , and Issaquah. The freeway continues north from the interchange towards Downtown Bellevue , passing the Mercer Slough estuary and the historic Wilburton Trestle as it widens to ten lanes. I-405 travels through several interchanges and forms

4760-579: The Potholes Reservoir . I-90 reaches Moses Lake by crossing the eponymous lake's western arm and intersecting SR 171 , which serves as the city's main street. The freeway then crosses the Pelican Horn and intersects SR 17 before leaving the city, regaining its frontage roads as it continues east across rural Adams County by following several coulees . I-90 intersects the SR ;21 east of

4900-464: The Puget Sound and Columbia Plateau regions for trade and socializing in the summertime, as it was the lowest pass in the Cascades. The early trails from the pass were used by fur traders and settlers beginning in the 1850s, as it was the only route equipped to handle wagons and livestock. Snoqualmie Pass was later chosen for the region's first major cross-mountain road in the 1860s, having beaten

5040-701: The Seattle Mariners baseball team, and includes a pair of ramps to SR 519 and an additional offramp to 4th Avenue South north of Royal Brougham Way and near Lumen Field . The ramps converge over the Stadium light rail station adjacent to King County Metro 's bus bases and were formerly joined by bus-only express lane ramps from the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel and 5th Avenue in the International District . I-90 travels east through

5180-621: The Snoqualmie Casino to North Bend , where it intersects SR 202 . The freeway travels around the southern edge of North Bend and neighboring Tanner in the foothills of Rattlesnake Ridge . I-90 continues southeasterly along the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River into the Snoqualmie National Forest , which also hosts several state parks and campgrounds. I-90 continues in a southern arc around several mountains in

5320-465: The Sunset Highway , in the early 1910s. The Sunset Highway was incorporated into the national highway system in 1926 as part of US 10 , which I-90 replaced when it was designated in 1957. The first segments of the freeway, located in Spokane and Spokane Valley , opened at around the same time and the state government completed upgrades of US 10 to Interstate standards for most of the route by

5460-650: The Union Pacific Railroad ), the freeway enters the city of Renton and passes between a regional wastewater treatment plant and the former Longacres racetrack (now a Boeing office park ). I-405 continues across the Black River and through an industrial and commercial area on the southern outskirts of Renton to a cloverleaf interchange with SR 167 (the Valley Freeway) and Rainier Avenue . The interchange, located near several car dealerships at

5600-617: The Vantage Bridge , which was reconstructed in 1962 due to the reservoir created by the Wanapum Dam . A 7-mile (11 km) section from Ritzville to Tokio opened in November 1959 and cost $ 3.8 million to construct. In October 1959, the state government completed construction of a divided highway spanning 22 miles (35 km) across Snoqualmie Pass to Easton, finishing the last section of four-lane highway between Seattle and Snoqualmie Pass. A 4-mile (6.4 km) extension from Easton to Cle Elum

5740-572: The Virginia Mason Athletic Center , the headquarters of the Seattle Seahawks football team. I-405 leaves Renton and briefly enters the city of Newcastle before continuing into the residential Newport neighborhood in southern Bellevue . The freeway travels along the lake and near several residential areas, passing through two intermediate interchanges at Newport Hills and Coal Creek near Newport High School . I-405 then passes

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5880-472: The highway shoulders between North Bend and Cle Elum, including variable-message signage to inform drivers of road conditions. WSDOT estimates that it costs $ 2–3 million annually to keep Snoqualmie Pass open in the wintertime, which sees an average snowfall of 233 inches (590 cm) and about 120 hours of closures per year. I-90 continues southeast along the Yakima River to Easton , where it leaves

6020-633: The moraine between Rattlesnake Ledge and the absolute front of the Cascades. It is sometimes considered part of the Issaquah Alps but it is a relatively young symmetrical volcanic cone and is therefore more closely related to neighboring Mount Washington to the east than the old weathered hills of the majority of the Alps. 47°30′N 122°00′W  /  47.500°N 122.000°W  / 47.500; -122.000 Interstate 90 in Washington Interstate 90 ( I-90 ), designated as

6160-421: The Eastside highway in 1952 as part of its limited-access highway network and allocated funds to begin acquisition of right-of-way along the corridor. The federal Bureau of Public Roads included the Eastside bypass of Seattle in its 1955 recommendation for a national system of Interstate routes ; it would generally follow SSH 1L and SSH 2A to northern Kirkland before turning northwest near Bothell on

6300-614: The Eastside was the Lake Washington Belt Line , opened from Renton to Woodinville in late 1904 by the Northern Pacific Railway . It was intended to allow freight to bypass Seattle's congested railyards and was also served by passenger trains. The area's first log roads had been built in the early 1890s and were expanded across the region by the beginning of the 20th century, including predecessors to I-405. A north–south road between Kirkland and modern-day Bellevue

6440-463: The Factoria interchange while construction continued on a new connection to US 10 (later I-90) for several more years. The 209-acre (85 ha) interchange with I-5 at Tukwila opened in stages between February and November 1967; it cost $ 16 million to construct and included ramps to the new Southcenter shopping mall. The final section of I-405 to be built, between Woodinville and Lynnwood,

6580-526: The Green River Valley. The freeway also has several large park-and-ride facilities that are served by flyer stops and direct access HOV ramps. In 2017, 202 bus trips on the I-405 corridor carried approximately 6,800 passengers during peak periods on an average weekday. The Sound Transit 3 ballot measure, passed in 2016, includes $ 1 billion in funding for a bus rapid transit (BRT) system covering

6720-612: The I-90 corridor to preserve wilderness and recreational areas between Seattle and Thorp on the east side of Snoqualmie Pass. It was designated as a National Scenic Byway in 1998, a first for an Interstate Highway, and a National Heritage Area in 2019. The Snoqualmie Pass section was also home to one of the Interstate Highway System's few snowsheds , which had protected two westbound lanes along Keechelus Lake from avalanches and other debris. The 500-foot (150 m) snowshed

6860-427: The Interstate Fairgrounds. The freeway travels on the north side of the suburban city and intersects SR 27 near the Spokane Valley Mall . I-90 follows the Spokane River and Centennial Trail through Liberty Lake and to the Idaho state line. The freeway then continues across the Spokane River towards Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene . Snoqualmie Pass was historically used by the indigenous inhabitants of

7000-405: The Northeast 6th Street ramp, traveling north with limited entry and exit points. I-405 continues north from Downtown Bellevue into the city's northern residential and commercial neighborhoods, where it intersects SR 520 —a major east–west freeway with connections to Seattle, the Microsoft campus in Overlake , and Redmond . The partial cloverleaf interchange includes a braided ramp from

7140-461: The Northeast 85th Street cloverleaf interchange is planned to be reconstructed as part of a bus rapid transit project. The I-405 corridor is served by several express bus routes operated by Sound Transit , King County Metro , and Community Transit . They connect several hubs that are centered around Bellevue Transit Center , accessed via the HOV ramp at Northeast 6th Street in Downtown Bellevue, and continue beyond I-405 to Everett , Burien, and

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7280-411: The Schrag rest area and continues towards Ritzville , where a long concurrency with US 395 begins. The two highways intersect SR 261 and travel northeast along the BNSF railroad, which carries Amtrak 's Empire Builder trains, to Sprague Lake in Lincoln County . In Sprague , I-90 intersects SR 23 just south of its junction with SR 231 . From Sprague, the freeway passes

7420-536: The Seattle–Spokane section of US 10 was removed from the national highway system, while the Spokane–Idaho segment remained until 1975. Later that year, the state highway commission unsuccessfully proposed a 92-mile (148 km) westward extension of I-90 from Seattle to Bremerton via a bridge over Puget Sound and continuing on to Aberdeen on the Pacific Ocean . Expansion of the last two-lane section of I-90 in Eastern Washington, spanning 26 miles (42 km) from Schrag to Ritzville, began in August 1971 and

7560-458: The Sunset Highway met the Central Washington Highway (State Road 11), which ran southwest through Cheney and Ritzville towards the Tri-Cities . The road across Snoqualmie Pass was mostly complete by September 1914, leading to plans for a formal dedication, but heavy rainfall delayed earthwork along the highway and postponed its use by motorists. The completed Sunset Highway was briefly opened for traffic on October 1, 1914, before closing for

7700-422: The Sunset Highway through Snoqualmie Pass began in February 1914, with the goal of lowering the crossing of the pass by 117 feet (36 m) under the old wagon road. To extend the highway from Ellensburg to Spokane, the state highway board chose to route the Sunset Highway over a ferry crossing of the Columbia River at Vantage , then north to Wenatchee and Waterville along modern US 2 . In Spokane,

7840-409: The United States. The project is designed to help traffic move more smoothly on I-405. A 2008 construction project demolished the Wilburton Tunnel, which formerly covered a portion of the freeway between Factoria and Bellevue and carried the BNSF Woodinville Subdivision . On September 27, 2015, a set of high-occupancy toll lanes (HOT lanes) opened on I-405 between Bellevue and Lynnwood, replacing

7980-407: The Yakima River towards Yakima . I-90 crosses into the Columbia Plateau at the east end of the Kittitas Valley, traveling due east past Olmstead Place State Park and the town of Kittitas . The freeway travels across a series of hills while following the Ryegrass Coulee, including a rest area at Ryegrass Hill near the Wild Horse Wind Farm . I-90 then reaches Vantage , where it travels past

8120-519: The Yakima River, a high fence for elk , and several gravel pits that were converted into fishing ponds. The section was one of four runner-ups in a 1968 contest of the most beautiful highways in the United States organized by Parade magazine. The Vantage Highway, connecting Ellensburg to the Vantage Bridge, was replaced by a new alignment for I-90 that opened on November 20, 1968. The section included an interchange with I-82 in Ellensburg that would fully open to traffic in 1971. On June 23, 1969,

8260-417: The area. The first stage of the improvements, the SR 519 South Seattle Intermodal Access Project, included the construction of a new on-ramp to Interstate 90 via a new interchange with 4th Avenue S. and Edgar Martínez Drive S. (formerly S. Atlantic Street). Other projects are currently ongoing and have been completed in the recent years on I-90. The Mountains to Sound Greenway was established in 1990 along

8400-452: The busiest mountain highways in the United States. I-90 intersects the Pacific Crest Trail and SR 906 at the pass, providing access to the adjacent Snoqualmie ski resort . The freeway travels south into Kittitas County and intersects SR 906 Spur at Hyak . I-90 continues south through the Wenatchee National Forest along the eastern shore of Keechelus Lake , under steep cliffs that were cut using controlled blasting . At

8540-434: The busiest mountain pass highways in the United States, and uses a series of viaducts and structures to navigate the terrain. The freeway travels across suburban bedroom communities in the Seattle metropolitan area , the forests of the Cascade Range, and the high plains of the Columbia Plateau . The crossing at Snoqualmie Pass was established as a wagon road in 1867 and incorporated into a cross-state auto trail , known as

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8680-417: The bypass into a single numbered highway. In 1957, the Washington State Highway Commission approved accelerated plans to build new two-lane sections of the future freeway corridor that would be designed to accommodate later expansions to four lanes with limited access to adhere to Interstate standards . By the end of the year, the new highway had been extended 3.3 miles (5.3 km) north to Juanita and

8820-400: The central section. An injunction was granted to halt construction in February 1964, but the case was overturned by the Washington Supreme Court in 1965. Contracts to construct the elevated freeway were divided into two-block segments, beginning with Maple and Cedar streets in September 1965. The 9-mile (14 km) western section from Four Lakes near Cheney to Maple Street in Spokane

8960-476: The cities of Renton , Bellevue , Kirkland , and Bothell . I-405 terminates at I-5 in Tukwila and Lynnwood , and also intersects several major highways, including SR 167 , I-90 , SR 520 , and SR 522 . The Eastside highway was originally built in the early 20th century to connect cities along the lake and was formally added to the state highway system in 1937 as Secondary State Highway 2A (SSH 2A). A freeway replacement for SSH 2A

9100-466: The coastal plain of the North Cascade subcontinent that docked with Washington about 50 million years ago as the entire continent of North America moved west across the ocean. The Alps were heavily eroded by glaciers in the last ice age . The Vashon lobe of the ice sculpted Rattlesnake Ledge, steeply carved the east and west sides of Squak Mountain, and deposited a large erratic on Cougar Mountain, Fantastic Erratic . Cedar Butte rises abruptly from

9240-423: The completion of a westbound viaduct over Denny Creek. The project also included demolition of the western snowshed near the summit. Initial planning for I-90 in Seattle included a proposed viaduct along Connecticut Street (later renamed Royal Brougham Way) from the interchange with I-5 westward to the Alaskan Way Viaduct as part of greater plans to build a ring road around Downtown Seattle . Approved with

9380-405: The country's main toll highways run from Seattle across the northern Great Plains to Minneapolis and Chicago . Similar bills introduced by congressmen of the time proposed a transcontinental route across the northern U.S. originating in Seattle, with its eastern terminus as far as New York City or Boston . The toll roads concept was rejected, but the idea of transcontinental "superhighways"

9520-404: The early 1990s. The new floating bridge opened in 1989 and carried bi-directional traffic while the original floating bridge was renovated. The old bridge's center pontoons sank during a November 1990 windstorm due to a contractor error and were rebuilt over the following three years, reopening to traffic on September 12, 1993, marking the completion of the transcontinental highway. Interstate 90

9660-419: The early 2000s. Originally intended as a bypass to I-5 through Seattle, I-405 has experienced a large increase in traffic volume since its construction. I-405 is now the most congested freeway in Washington State, particularly the segment between State Route 169 and I-90. A Nickel Project funded in 2003 originally included three planned improvements for I-405: In 2005, the "Renton to Bellevue Project"

9800-475: The eastbound lanes travel on the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge , the second longest floating bridge. The Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge, originally called the Lake Washington Floating Bridge, opened on July 2, 1940. The bridge sank during construction on November 25, 1990. It was later rebuilt and the new bridge opened later in 1993. The second bridge, the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge, opened on June 4, 1989, and carried bidirectional traffic until 1993, when it

9940-445: The eastern border of Downtown Bellevue, a major office district, separating it from the retail areas of Wilburton . It intersects Northeast 4th Street in a diamond interchange, Northeast 6th Street in an HOV-only Texas T interchange serving the Bellevue Transit Center and under the 2 Line light rail guideway, and Northeast 8th Street in a cloverleaf interchange near the Overlake Medical Center . A set of four HOT lanes begin at

10080-646: The eastern edge of downtown, providing a connection across the Spokane River to the Gonzaga University campus. The freeway continues east through Spokane's suburban neighborhoods, flanked by a pair of frontage roads that funnel traffic towards local streets at interchanges, and passes the future terminus of the North Spokane Corridor , a major freeway that will carry US 395 when completed. I-90 then enters Spokane Valley near Avista Stadium and

10220-631: The edge of South Hill or through the hill via a tunnel. The public debate over the routing of the freeway in the late 1950s attracted opinions from various local organizations and members of the public, with one public hearing at the Spokane Coliseum attended by almost 500 people. In March 1958, the state highway commission chose a southerly route that would be elevated above 4th and 5th avenues with six to eight lanes. The 3.88-mile (6.24 km) freeway would include major interchanges near Hangman Creek to connect with US 195 and at Liberty Park for

10360-548: The end of a proposed elevated freeway. It was extended 3.2 miles (5.1 km) further east to Liberty Lake in October 1964, stopping near the Idaho state line. The $ 5 million section from Burke Junction (near present-day George ) to Moses Lake was opened in June 1958, connecting with a bypass of the city that required two new bridges. The freeway was later extended 25 miles (40 km) to

10500-560: The entirety of the I-405 corridor using the expanded HOT lanes. The system, part of the Stride network, will have two lines: the S1 Line from Burien to Bellevue and the S2 Line from Bellevue to Lynnwood. The Stride lines will serve eleven stations, mostly at existing flyer stops, and have a maximum frequency of 10 minutes during peak periods. They are scheduled to open between 2028 and 2029. One of

10640-706: The existing HOV lanes from NE 6th Street to I-5/SR 525. Construction on the southern half of the HOT lanes system, extending to the SR ;167 interchange in Renton, began in 2020 and is scheduled to be completed in 2024 at a cost of $ 1.2 billion. The City of Bellevue plans to construct a lidded park over a section of I-405 between 4th and 6th streets as part of its "Grand Connection" program. A new half-diamond interchange at Northeast 132nd Street in Kirkland opened on May 20, 2024, while

10780-474: The existing two-lane highway into a freeway began with a section between Factoria and Downtown Bellevue that opened in 1961. The project included a cloverleaf interchange at Northeast 8th Street in Downtown Bellevue. A nearby interchange at Northrup Road was rebuilt in 1963 to temporarily accommodate traffic from the then-new Evergreen Point Floating Bridge using a hybrid cloverleaf design. Construction of

10920-485: The federal government's favored route over Naches Pass , and a rough wagon road was completed in October 1867 by a group of Seattle businessmen. The wagon road was popular with settlers and cattle drivers from eastern Washington and was planned to be extended west to the Black River and east to the Yakima Valley using a $ 2,500 appropriation from the territorial government , but the funds proved insufficient and

11060-575: The freeway between West Mercer Way and 76th Avenue Northeast. I-90 emerges in downtown Mercer Island, adjacent to its future light rail station in the freeway median and a current park and ride . The freeway passes under a smaller lid at Luther Burbank Park and leaves the island on the East Channel Bridge , which crosses a smaller arm of Lake Washington into Bellevue . I-90 travels to the south of Enatai and Beaux Arts Village and intersects Bellevue Way, where light rail tracks turn north away from

11200-459: The freeway corridor was moved several times. The first sound wall on a highway in Washington was installed in 1973 along I-405 near the Wilburton interchange in Bellevue. It was constructed from plywood and placed near Bellevue to mitigate construction noise; at the time, the northbound carriageway had bidirectional traffic. One of the major construction projects on the highway was straightening

11340-471: The freeway, before crossing the Mercer Slough and its wetlands . The freeway gains a set of collector–distributor lanes and widens to 16 lanes as it passes under a disused railroad bridge that is slated to be part of the Eastside Rail Corridor trail. The freeway then meets I-405 in a large stack interchange northwest of the Factoria Mall and near the headquarters of T-Mobile US . South of

11480-494: The highway as the "American Veterans Memorial Highway" in 1991 to honor U.S. soldiers. A 100-mile (160 km) section of I-90 between Seattle and Thorp named the Mountains to Sound Greenway was designated in 1998 as a National Scenic Byway , in recognition of its scenic views. I-90 is maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), who conduct an annual survey of traffic volume that

11620-457: The highway remained without any sort of pavement beyond graded dirt. The state highway department continued work near the Snoqualmie and Blewett passes, including the staging of snow removal vehicles to allow for all-winter travel beginning in 1930–31 and a 12.4-mile-long (20.0 km) segment near Snoqualmie Pass being completely paved in 1933. The year-round access to Snoqualmie Pass led to

11760-447: The initial highway. The 2.6-mile (4.2 km) northern extension, which terminated with a connection to Woodinville Drive, took five months to construct and included several new overpasses. The highway's completion spurred economic growth in Bellevue, which was sought due to its location near a junction with US 10 ; from 1955 to 1958, the city and its surrounding areas had grown from a population of 27,600 to 41,750. Expansion of

11900-534: The lake, passing through Renton and crossing the Issaquah Alps . The terminus of US 10 remained at the intersection of Airport Way and 4th Avenue South (carrying US 99 ) between King Street and Union stations, the city's main railroad terminals. The floating bridge was conceived by engineers in the 1930s as a replacement for the automobile ferries on the lake and was opened on July 2, 1940, after one year of construction. The bridge, which initially had

12040-410: The lane's western terminus was extended to South Dearborn Street in 1981 to provide an exclusive high-occupancy vehicle lane during rush hour. Today, I-90 crosses Lake Washington between Seattle and Bellevue on a pair of floating bridges that are two of the world's longest floating bridges. The westbound lanes travel on the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge , the fifth longest floating bridge, and

12180-909: The late 1920s: the National Park to Park Highway and the Yellowstone Trail , which was rerouted away from the Inland Empire Highway in 1925. The federal government established its own national highway system in 1926, designating the Sunset Highway as part of U.S. Route 10 (US 10), a transcontinental highway between Seattle and Detroit, Michigan . At the time, the 348-mile-long (560 km) Sunset Highway had 256 miles (412 km) with gravel paving, 70 miles (110 km) with cement pavement, 7 miles (11 km) with macadam , 6 miles (9.7 km) with bricks , and 4 miles (6.4 km) with asphalt concrete ; only 3 miles (4.8 km) of

12320-507: The late 1970s. The section of I-90 between Seattle and I-405 in Bellevue was delayed for decades because of environmental concerns and lawsuits by local groups over the freeway's potential impact on nearby neighborhoods. A compromise agreement was reached by the federal, state, and local governments in 1976 to build a second floating bridge across Lake Washington and include extensive parks above tunneled sections of I-90, which were completed in

12460-551: The mid-day when using the "FlexPass" that can toggle between tolled and HOV modes. I-405 begins as a continuation of State Route 518 (SR 518) at a multi-level junction with I-5 in Tukwila, northeast of Seattle–Tacoma International Airport . The eight-lane freeway gains a set of HOV lanes, directly connected to I-5, and travels around the north side of the Southcenter Mall , at the center of Tukwila's retail district. The mall

12600-482: The most congested highways in the Seattle area and is known for its meandering "S-curves" through Renton, which were straightened in the 1990s. I-405 is a 30-mile (48 km) north–south freeway that serves as a bypass of I-5 through Seattle while serving the Eastside region. It is listed as part of the National Highway System , identifying routes that are important to the national economy, defense, and mobility, and

12740-512: The national forest and is joined by the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail , part of Iron Horse State Park . The freeway passes several ranches and resort communities, including Suncadia , before reaching Cle Elum . I-90 runs to the south of downtown along the Yakima River and intersects SR 10 east of the city before crossing the river. SR 10 follows the former route of US 10 on

12880-518: The new highway between Kennydale and Bellevue began construction in February 1947 and was completed the following year. The East Pacific Highway Association, formed to plan a major highway to the east of US 99 from Tenino to the Canadian border , lobbied the state legislature for funding to complete the 25-mile (40 km) link between Renton and Woodinville. The state government approved plans for

13020-526: The next interchange. The combination interchange with SR 522 is located above the Sammamish River and adjacent to the University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia College campus; SR 522 continues west along Lake Washington towards Seattle and east through Woodinville towards Monroe . The freeway crosses over North Creek and intersects Northeast 195th Street near several office parks at

13160-535: The north edge of downtown Issaquah, zig-zagging to the south and north to avoid the ridge of Issaquah Highlands and western Tiger Mountain . I-90 leaves Issaquah and enters the heavily forested Issaquah Alps , skirting the north edge of the Tiger Mountain State Forest as it passes Preston . Northeast of Tiger Mountain, the freeway intersects SR 18 and an arterial street connecting to Snoqualmie and Snoqualmie Ridge. I-90 continues southeast past

13300-457: The north side of the Yakima River, connecting to SR 903 and SR 970 . The two highways continue southeast along the Yakima River and enter the Kittitas Valley near Thorp . I-90 begins a concurrency with US 97 west of Ellensburg , which continues as the freeway travels around the outskirts of the city to an interchange with I-82 , which travels south with US 97 along

13440-616: The northbound exit allowing traffic from Northeast 8th Street to enter I-405 and traffic from Northeast 10th Street to access SR 520. The freeway leaves Bellevue for Kirkland , traveling along the west side of Bridle Trails State Park and passing the campus of Northwest University in the predominantly residential Houghton neighborhood. I-405 then travels along the west side of Rose Hill, an area uphill from and about one mile (1.6 km) east of downtown Kirkland, intersecting Northeast 85th Street (formerly SR 908 ) near Lake Washington High School . The freeway continues north along

13580-602: The northern border of King County . I-405 enters Snohomish County and travels northwest through a wooded area along North Creek before reaching an interchange with the Bothell–Everett Highway, which continues north to Mill Creek as SR 527 . The interchange, located in the Canyon Park industrial area, is adjacent to a park and ride that serves as the southern terminus of the Swift Green Line and has

13720-439: The northwest corner of Talbot Hill, includes a direct HOV flyover ramp from I-405 southbound to SR 167 and SR 167 northbound to I-405. The freeway turns northeast and runs below several hills with residential neighborhoods overlooking downtown Renton. I-405 intersects SR 515 in a half-diamond interchange and then enters a series of "s-curves" as it travels around the east side of downtown Renton. After crossing

13860-465: The outer lanes of the floating bridge. The right of way will be used for the 2 Line , a light rail line between Seattle and Redmond that is scheduled to open in 2025. The west end of the network was at the intersection of 5th Avenue, Airport Way, and Dearborn Street in the International District , adjacent to the Union Station complex and Lumen Field . The bi-directional, two-lane highway

14000-598: The outer two serving as the bus-only approach and platform for the Rainier Freeway Station . Interstate 405 (Washington) Interstate 405 ( I-405 ) is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway serving the Seattle region of Washington , United States. It bypasses Seattle east of Lake Washington , traveling through the Eastside area of King and Snohomish counties, providing an alternate route to I-5 . The 30-mile (48 km) freeway serves

14140-415: The permanent interchange was later completed in November 1966 at a cost of $ 5.5 million. In 1964, the system of primary and secondary state highways was removed in favor of new state routes, and the incomplete sections of the corridor were renumbered to SR 405. By 1966, the remaining sections of SR 405 were fully renumbered to I-405. The first segment of the Renton Freeway to be completed

14280-420: The project was shelved. The Snoqualmie wagon road was bought out in 1883 by the Seattle and Walla Walla Trail and Wagon Road Company and converted into a toll road to fund maintenance after the federal government declined to fund improvements to the road. The toll scheme was ultimately unsuccessful, as it failed to compete with the Northern Pacific Railway after it built its railroad across Stampede Pass to

14420-579: The proposed north–south freeway , along with three downtown interchanges. The southerly route was deemed the most practical and cost $ 33 million, the lowest of the options, and was given preliminary approval by the Spokane City Council before being sent to the Bureau of Public Roads. The proposal was criticized for its proximity to the Deaconess Hospital , which was located 70 feet (21 m) from

14560-526: The recommendation of the Bureau of Public Roads. Construction of the Spokane Freeway began in 1961 with a section over Sunset Hill and the Hangman Creek bridges, which were completed in June 1963 at a cost of $ 2.2 million but remained closed to traffic. Deaconess Hospital's opposition delayed planning of the Spokane Freeway for several years, including a lawsuit it filed in 1963 to halt construction of

14700-561: The road to four lanes and constructing two snowsheds to protect motorists from avalanches. The $ 8.25 million project was completed in 1958. The federal government endorsed proposals for a transcontinental system of "superhighways" that were transmitted by the Roosevelt administration and the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) to Congress in the late 1930s. In its 1939 report, the BPR proposed that one of

14840-493: The route, and the campus of Lewis and Clark High School . Officials from Deaconess Hospital lobbied the state government for a freeway noise study that would determine the effects of various routing options and asked the city council to delay its approval. The hospital also announced plans in July 1959 to expand its existing building in direct opposition to the state government's preferred freeway routing. Governor Rosellini endorsed

14980-403: The s-curves in Renton, which were designed for speeds of up to 45 miles per hour (72 km/h). This project began in 1990, and was estimated to cost $ 70 million. Also during this time, the portion of the highway between I-5 and South Renton was being repaved and HOV lanes were being added, which were originally placed on the right-hand side of the road before being migrated over to the median in

15120-453: The same year that the state government designated the route as part of State Road 7. State Road 7 began construction between North Bend and Easton in 1907 and became Washington's first trans-Cascades highway. Later that year, state highway commissioner Joseph M. Snow announced plans to extend the Snoqualmie Pass road west to Seattle and east to Spokane and the Idaho state line, using a road through Wenatchee . The cross-state extension

15260-409: The section between Bellevue and Kirkland was completed in October 1956 after two years of construction that was slowed by difficult soil conditions. The former alignment on Lake Washington Boulevard and Market Street through Kirkland was transferred to the city government. SSH 2A and the eastern portion of SSH 1L were replaced in 1957 by the Renton branch of PSH 1, created to consolidate

15400-447: The south end of the lake, the freeway passes under a 66-foot-long (20 m) arched wildlife bridge , which is the first to be built in Washington state. While Snoqualmie Pass does not have an annual closure like other passes in the Cascades, it does suffer from vehicle restrictions and occasional days-long shutdowns during the wintertime for avalanche control and clearing collisions. I-90 has several chain -on and chain-off areas on

15540-534: The south. The toll road was abandoned in 1893 and transferred to King and Klickitat counties, who contracted Denny to maintain and repair the road in 1899 with state money; by that time, sections of the road had deteriorated considerably, but approximately 200 wagons and 1,148 used the Snoqualmie Pass road that summer. The rise of automobiles after the turn of the 20th century led to the state government funding and supporting new highways across Washington state. Snoqualmie Pass saw its first automobile crossing in 1905,

15680-532: The southern outskirts of Woodinville. The American Association of State Highway Officials approved Interstate 405 as the designation for the Seattle bypass freeway in November 1958, based on a proposal submitted by the Washington State Department of Highways. On October 23, 1958, a dual ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the completion of the Renton–Kennydale and Kirkland–Woodinville sections of

15820-470: The speed limit of the rural section between Vantage and Spokane to 75 mph (121 km/h) have been submitted and denied by the state government due to safety concerns. I-90 begins its eastward journey at the intersection of Edgar Martinez Drive South (part of SR 519 ) and 4th Avenue South in the SoDo neighborhood south of Downtown Seattle . The interchange is adjacent to T-Mobile Park , home to

15960-516: The state good roads association endorsed the construction of three trunk highways across the state, including a 400-mile (640 km) route from the Puget Sound to Idaho over Snoqualmie Pass. The state legislature passed an appropriations bill in March 1913 that funded construction of the trunk routes, including a total of $ 506,834 for the cross-state road, dubbed the " Sunset Highway ". Construction of

16100-431: The state's Highway of Statewide Significance program, recognizing its connection to major communities. The highway is maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), who conduct an annual survey of traffic volume that is expressed in terms of annual average daily traffic (AADT), a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. Average daily traffic volumes on I-405 in 2016 ranged from

16240-493: The state. In 1919, the state government rerouted the Sunset Highway between Ellensburg and Wenatchee, proposing a new branch through Blewett Pass in lieu of the ferry crossing at Vantage, which became part of the North Central Highway . The Blewett Pass highway was completed in May 1922, replacing a more dangerous wagon road across the pass. Portions of the Sunset Highway remained graded but unpaved until funds from

16380-659: The whole concept by the Seattle City Council in 1963, the Connecticut Street Viaduct was never built as projected costs ballooned from $ 20 million to $ 33 million by 1973 despite the Federal Highway Administration agreeing to cover $ 12 million in designating a section of it as an Interstate Highway. During the construction of the freeway between Seattle and Bellevue, lawsuits were filed on May 28, 1970, and stopped construction of I-90 for over

16520-460: The wider Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge . The two floating bridges connect Seattle to the Eastside suburbs and are among the longest in the world, at 5,811 feet (1,771 m) and 6,603 feet (2,013 m) in length, respectively. From the east end of the bridge, I-90 continues onto Mercer Island and travels under the Mercer Island Lid , a landscaped park built atop a curved section of

16660-413: The winter season. It reopened to traffic on June 20, 1915, and the highway was formally dedicated at the summit of Snoqualmie Pass on July 1, 1915, by a party of 400 motorists led by Governor Ernest Lister and Seattle Mayor Hiram Gill . Lister compared the highway's opening to the arrival of the transcontinental railroads and called the completion of the Sunset Highway the more important achievement for

16800-410: Was added as an additional Nickel Project, and would have added two lanes in each direction between SR 169 and I-90. However, in November 2007, voters rejected the ballot measure which would have provided the additional funds necessary for this project. At this time the project is still largely unfunded. The web site "Road to Ruin" ranks the widening of I-405 as the fourth most wasteful highway project in

16940-409: Was already under construction. Additional right-of-way would be acquired to allow for expansion to four lanes at a later date. Following a survey by the state highway department, a route generally following 116th Avenue Northeast was chosen in 1949; plans also called for a limited-access highway with several cloverleaf interchanges dependent on available funding. A four-mile (6.4 km) section of

17080-441: Was approved by the state legislature in 1909 and commemorated by a 23-day automobile race from New York City to Seattle for that year's Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition ; in total, 105 automobiles crossed Snoqualmie Pass in 1909. The racers and a group of Spokane motorists who drove across two years later described the road near Snoqualmie Pass as "impassible" with "treacherous" conditions, leaving much to be improved. In 1912,

17220-411: Was between Tukwila and Renton, costing $ 12.6 million and opening to traffic on August 31, 1965. An extension that bypassed downtown Renton opened on September 3, connecting with the existing freeway to Kennydale. A four-lane section of I-405 between Kennydale and Factoria in southern Bellevue was opened to traffic in August of that year. A temporary overpass with a traffic signal was installed at

17360-577: Was completed in 1908 and gradually extended south to Renton and north to Bothell. The road, named Lake Washington Boulevard, was fully paved by 1932 and designated by the state legislature as part of Secondary State Highway 2A (SSH 2A) in 1937. SSH 2A traveled north from US 10 in Renton to Primary State Highway 2 (PSH 2) in Bothell, continuing onward to US 99 in Everett. Three Tree Point Road, which connected Burien to Renton,

17500-534: Was completed two years later at a cost of $ 16 million. A section of I-90 crossing the Washington–Idaho state line was upgraded to Interstate standards with the opening of the Post Falls bypass in July 1977. The final traffic signal on I-90 and what remained of US 10 was removed on October 13, 1978, with the opening of a bypass around North Bend. The section west of Snoqualmie Pass was widened in 1981 with

17640-485: Was convereted for westbound and reversible use only. The final section of Interstate 90 was opened in September 1993, costing $ 1.56 billion to complete the Seattle–Bellevue stretch. The final section's construction was described by local politicians as "the end of an era" and a "dinosaur" due to its conflicts with Seattle's long-term plans for transit and reducing driving. In 1998, I-90 from Seattle to Thorp

17780-497: Was created and ran from PSH 7 at Burke near Quincy and through Moses Lake to PSH 11 and US 395 in Ritzville. US 10 was rerouted onto the new Burke–Ritzville highway and a section of PSH 7 between Thorp and Burke, incorporating the original Vantage Bridge , in the early 1940s. The old alignment through Wenatchee, Coulee City , and Davenport , along with a new segment across Stevens Pass to Everett ,

17920-417: Was credited with reducing the city's rate of collisions and had no fatal collisions until late 1958. The state government received $ 59.5 million in federal appropriations for 1957 to construct its first Interstate sections, including freeway bypasses of cities along US 10. The Spokane Valley segment was extended east to Greenacres in November 1957 and west to Spokane in September 1958, terminating near

18060-399: Was dedicated by Governor Albert Rosellini on September 30, 1964. Planning for the east–west freeway through Downtown Spokane began in the mid-1940s, with city leaders undecided on a specific route but generally favoring a corridor on the south side of the central business district. Among the options were a replacement of Riverside Avenue on the north side of downtown and an alignment along

18200-481: Was designated as US 10 Alternate in 1940. US 10 Alternate itself was usurped by the extension of US 2 from Sandpoint, Idaho , to Everett in 1946. A second alternate route was established in the 1940s after the opening of the Lake Washington Floating Bridge between Seattle and Mercer Island . US 10 previously traveled between Seattle and Issaquah via the south side of

18340-428: Was designated as SSH 1L. The Bothell–Everett section of SSH 2A was later removed from the state highway system in 1943. Planning for a series of upgrades to transform SSH 2A into a suitable bypass of US 99 around Seattle began in the late 1940s. A plan announced in 1947 would use federal funds to build a new two-lane road between Bellevue and Woodinville, supplementing another road to Kennydale that

18480-489: Was designated the Mountains to Sound Greenway , a National Scenic Byway , to protect its outstanding scenic and cultural resources. The Mountains to Sound Greenway was also designated as a National Heritage Area in 2019. Before 2003, Interstate 90 used to end at a signalled intersection with 4th Avenue S. However, increasing traffic from Downtown Seattle, Colman Dock, T-Mobile Park , and CenturyLink Field forced city, county, and state officials to look for improvements to

18620-456: Was further developed by an appointed committee into the 1944 Interregional Highways system plan, which included a route following the Sunset Highway from Seattle to Spokane and continuing along US 10 through to the Great Lakes region. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 , signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on June 29, 1956, formally authorized the creation and funding of

18760-531: Was instead repurposed to carry a spur route of SR 290 after construction of a new bridge over the Spokane River was completed in 1984. In 1966, the state government completed an expansion of US 10 near Moses Lake to meet Interstate standards. A 24-mile (39 km) section of I-90 opened in August 1967, bypassing Cle Elum and the old Yakima River Highway to Ellensburg. It cost $ 17.7 million to construct and included 31 bridges, three crossings of

18900-401: Was joined by ramps from the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel , which carried Eastside bus routes through downtown until 2019, and continued along the north side of I-90 across its interchange with I-5. The express lanes crossed under the freeway's westbound lanes on the north side of Beacon Hill, continuing east in the median. The express lanes crossed Rainier Avenue on three overpasses, with

19040-609: Was later moved further northeast to North Creek after opposition from residents. It was later revived in 1971 as part of a shorter connector between Kenmore and I-405 that was rejected for a lack of projected need. In the 1960s, the state government studied the construction of an outer freeway bypass due to expected traffic demand on I-405. A report released in 1970 concluded that the outer bypass, nicknamed I-605 , would not be necessary and recommended expanding I-405 to eight lanes in some sections. The proposal had also been controversial with residents around Lake Sammamish , around which

19180-440: Was opened to traffic in November 1969. Further construction expanded I-405 to six lanes, including a section near Woodinville that involved the demolition of recent bridges that were too narrow to support three lanes per direction. These projects had been delayed due to a cut in federal highway spending in the late 1960s. The proposed route between Bothell and Lynnwood was originally planned to follow Swamp Creek from Kenmore , but

19320-692: Was opened to traffic on December 7, 1965, along with expressways for US 2 and US 195. The freeway was extended 16.7 miles (26.9 km) southwest from Four Lakes to Tyler on November 18, 1966, following a dedication by Governor Daniel J. Evans , whose plane landed on the unopened lanes. The Spokane freeway was linked to the existing Ritzville bypass with the opening of the 23-mile (37 km) Tokio–Fishtrap section of I-90 on November 22, 1968, ahead of an Apple Cup game played at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane. The elevated section through Downtown Spokane, spanning 6,600 feet (2,000 m) from Maple Street to Pine Street, opened on September 25, 1969, and cost

19460-406: Was proposed in the 1940s by the state government and designated as I-405 as part of the federal Interstate Highway program, with the first section beginning construction in 1956 and completed in 1965. It was initially signed as SR 405 until the freeway was fully completed in 1971; since then, the highway has been expanded to add lanes for high-occupancy vehicles and toll users . I-405 is one of

19600-418: Was removed in 2014 and replaced with elevated bridges as part of a project to expand the freeway to six lanes along Keechelus Lake; an earlier plan to build a wider and longer snowshed in its place was scrapped due to additional costs associated with meeting ventilation and fire safety standards. Other sections of the 15-mile (24 km) Snoqualmie Pass corridor were rebuilt in the 2010s and 2020s as part of

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