Road Work Starts Monday at Busy 85th and 114th Ave

Crews will begin tackling another major intersection upgrade in Kirkland next Monday, Aug. 29, this one at 114th Avenue NE on busy NE 85th, just west of the Interstate 405 interchange.

A second left turn lane on southbound 114th to eastbound 85th will be added, along with new “smart” remote monitoring and control equipment and new sidewalks on all four corners.

Disruptions in traffic are expected, of course, with traffic control and flagging operations, and some trees on the west side of 114th will be removed, with replanting near the end of the project.

The project will probably not be as disruptive to traffic as the work earlier this summer nearby at the intersection of Central Way and Sixth, said Don Anderson, city of Kirkland project engineer.

But you can expect some backups.

“I think residents and drivers should plan their routes carefully and expect congestion,” he said. “The project at Sixth and Central was bigger, but there will be impacts.”

Work hours will generally be from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., but traffic volume is so high at times on 85th that there will be some night work necessary. The project is expected to wrap up in November.

“We’re hoping we have good weather so we can get the work done,” Anderson said. “We’ll see how the weather holds. We hope to be done by mid-November.”

When completed, the project is expected to measurably improve traffic flow, especially for residents of the Norkirk and Highlands neighborhoods who use 114th to reach I-405.

“It is a real feeder for the Highlands Neighborhood,” said Anderson.

The contractor for the job is Road Construction Northwest, Inc. The project is part of a major series of improvements over the next two years on 85th, the primary arterial over Rose Hill and east into Redmond.

For more information and construction updates, go to the city’s 114th Avenue and NE 85th Street web site or call the construction hotline, 425-587-3838.