Interstate 405 (Washington)

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Interstate 405 Number based on I-5
RCW 47.17.595
Length:	30.30 mi[1] (48.76 km)
Formed:	c. 1970-71
South end:	I-5/SR 518 in Tukwila
Major junctions:	SR 167 in Renton SR 900 in Renton I-90 in Bellevue SR 520 in Bellevue SR 908 in Kirkland SR 522 in Bothell
North end:	I-5/SR 525 in Lynnwood
Washington State Routes < US 395 SR 410 >

Interstate 405 (abbreviated I-405) in Washington is a 30-mile loop route that bypasses Seattle east of Lake Washington. The northern terminus is in Lynnwood and the southern terminus is in Tukwila. The highway runs through what has since become the "Eastside" technology center of Bellevue and Kirkland, making it an often congested commuter path. I-405 is known for its meandering "S-curves" through Renton. It intersects with Interstate 90 and a number of major state routes. Its official name is "Renton Freeway," though it is not so signed. Interstate 405 was laid over historic Secondary State Highway 2A. The speed limit for the entire freeway is 60 mph (96.6 km/h).

The highway is referenced in the Death Cab for Cutie's song "405", on their 2000 release, We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes.

[edit] Future developments

Major cities Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs
Tacoma (via I-5) Seattle (via I-5) Burien (via SR 518) Tukwila Renton Newcastle Bellevue Kirkland Bothell Lynnwood Everett (via I-5)

I-405 is considered as one of the worst congested freeways in Washington State.^{[citation needed]} Many traffic and civil engineers over the past 10 years have questioned the future of this crowded bypass.

Currently underway is the Nickel Project, which is part of a master-plan to widen I-405 to be able to accommodate the ever-growing traffic problem on the Eastside of Seattle. Originally intended as a bypass to the already crowded I-5, I-405 has become just as commercially congested. The plan is expected to go through phases: adding HOV access lanes to Park & Rides, widening all of I-405 from its northern terminus to the southern terminus by at least one lane, and improving traffic flow on the freeway by widening overpasses and other freeways that converge into 405. This is particularly needed at 405's southern terminus where traffic on both 405 and Interstate 5 merge together and traffic is usually at a standstill for several hours during the evening commute.

Construction of the Nickel Project has already started in spring of 2006, and will go through several different phases. Two of the phases are expected to be underway in 2007, one of them between 112th Ave and I-90 adding a lane in each direction to the six-laned backed up freeway. The other is in Renton, where they will be widening the freeway with one lane in each direction from the southern terminus (I-5) to State Route 169. Both projects are estimated to be completed by 2009. The first new lanes of the project opened on Thursday, October 12, 2006, southbound between NE 116th Street and NE 85th Street, adding an additional general purpose lane for a total of one HOV lane and four general purpose lanes.^[2]

Plans have been made to include a ballot measure in the scheduled November 2007 local election to provide funding for adding still more lanes. However, the outlook for this measure is not clear, as it could ultimately cost as much as $20 billion and take two decades, according to its critics.^[3]

Critics also point out that years of costly widening projects have failed to improve traffic flow to date despite official promises, and congestion has only gotten worse. Moreover, there is little prospect of relief from further widening. There is also growing concern about increased air pollution and more toxic runoff that will pollute the region's waterways as a result of the increased traffic that will result from the widening.

The web site Road to Ruin ranks the widening of I-405 as the fourth most wasteful highway project in the United States.^[4] Also, Eastside Rail Now!, a local grassroots organization that promotes balanced transportation, classifies it as a major boondoggle and instead advocates the starting of rail transit service on the under-utilized railroad (the Woodinville Subdivision) that runs roughly parallel to I-405.^[3]

[edit] Exit List

County	Location	Mile	#	Destinations	Notes
Southern terminus of Interstate 405 Interstate 405 southbound continues as State Route 518 westbound
King	Tukwila	0.00		Interstate 5, Southcenter Boulevard – Tacoma, Seattle, Southcenter Mall	Stack-like interchange, includes a left HOV ramp from I-405 southbound to I-5 northbound.
		0.96	1	State Route 181 – Tukwila, Southcenter Mall
	Renton	2.30	2	State Route 167 – Renton City Center, Kent
		3.99 4.47	4	State Route 169, State Route 900 west, Maple Valley Highway
		5.37	5	State Route 900 east, NE Park Drive – Issaquah
		6.48	6	NE 30th Street – Kennydale
		7.44	7	NE 44th Street – Kennydale, May Creek
	Bellevue	9.23	9	112th Avenue SE – Newcastle
		10.15	10	Coal Creek Parkway – Factoria
		11.02	11	Interstate 90 – Mercer Island, Seattle, Spokane
		12.76	12	SE 8th Street
		13.54	13A	NE 4th Street
		13.68		NE 6th Street	HOV exit/entrance only.
		13.81	13B	NE 8th Street
		14.82	14	State Route 520 – Seattle, Redmond
	Kirkland	17.43	17	NE 70th Street
		18.08	18	State Route 908 (NE 85th Street) – Redmond, Kirkland
		19.82	20A	NE 116th Street	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		20.30	20B	Totem Lake Boulevard
		~20.7		Totem Lake Park & Ride	Future HOV interchange underconstruction, scheduled for completion spring 2007.[5]
		22.61	22	NE 160th Street
	Bothell	23.52	23	State Route 522 to U.S. Route 2 – Bothell, Seattle, Monroe
		24.46	24	NE 195th Street / Beardslee Boulevard
Snohomish		26.73	26	State Route 527 (Bothell Everett Highway)
		30.30		Interstate 5 – Seattle, Everett
Northern terminus of Interstate 405 Interstate 405 northbound continues as State Route 525 northbound

[edit] References

	edit Auxiliary routes of Interstate 5
	Current and Future (F)	Former
	California - Oregon
	California - Oregon/Washington
	California	Oregon
	California - Oregon - Washington
	California	Oregon
	California	Washington
	Washington
	California
	California (F)

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