A series of lane reconfigurations this week will mean big changes near the junction of Interstate 205 and state Highway 500, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Crews will work overnight tonight to modify the northbound lanes of I-205 between Highway 500 and Padden Parkway, and the I-205 northbound exits to Northeast Gher Road/112th Avenue and Highway 500 — exits 30A, 30B and 30C. The changes aim to smooth out merge points that often cause freeway backups, according to WSDOT.
On northbound I-205, restriping will convert the left lane, which now ends at the Highway 500 merge, into a through lane. Instead, the right lane will end, but before the two highways join. The result will separate the two points at which drivers merge, giving drivers more distance to navigate where the freeway squeezes from three lanes to two, according to WSDOT.
At Exit 30, a new configuration will mean drivers must use the far right lane to access both eastbound Highway 500 and Gher Road/112th Avenue. Traffic heading to westbound Highway 500 from northbound I-205 will use the second lane from the right, according to WSDOT.
The changes are part of a $2.2 million rehabilitation project along I-205 between state Highway 14 and the Interstate 5 junction.
