Washington State DOT Breaks Ground on I-90 Project

Six new lanes, one wildlife overcrossing, new bridges and culverts, and safety improvements are coming to a 2-mile stretch of Interstate 90 beginning this summer. 

Local officials, business leaders and transportation advocates joined the Washington State Department of Transportation to break ground on the next major phase to widen I-90 from four to six lanes and improve reliability and safety for drivers east of Snoqualmie Pass. 

“This project is a shining example of WSDOT’s future direction. It embraces our values, goals and strategies for a safe transportation system that improves mobility and supports economic growth,” says Cam Gilmour, deputy secretary of transportation. 

This phase of the project builds a new six lane highway, stabilizes rock slopes, constructs new bridges and culverts, and builds a wildlife overcrossing, the first of its kind in the project corridor. Construction is scheduled to be complete in 2019. 

The groundbreaking signals increased construction-related delays on Snoqualmie Pass this summer. Drivers will experience minor, periodic delays caused by single-lane closures and rolling slowdowns through October. 

The start of this 2-mile section is an extension of the $551 million project funded by the 2005 gas tax to improve 5 miles of I-90 from Hyak to Keechelus Dam, scheduled for completion in 2018. The Legislature allocated funding in the 2013 transportation budget to continue expanding I-90 to the Stampede Pass interchange.