Traffic Alert: 85th & 114th Construction Delays to Get Worse

The is giving drivers a heads-up to avoid the already congested intersection on NE 85th and 114th Avenue beginning Monday because work hours are being extended on the construction project there.

That’s the intersection just up the hill on 85th from downtown Kirkland, and 114th Avenue is the busy primary route used by residents of the Highlands Neigborhood to reach Interstate 405.

The contractor is stepping up work hours to 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. beginning Monday, Oct. 17, in an effort to beat the nasty wet weather that usually arrives in mid-fall. The city says you can expect long delays and should find alternate routes.

In addition, a complete night time road closure has been tentatively scheduled to begin the evening of Monday, Oct. 24, on 114th Avenue between 85th and 86th Streets. The work will require three to five night shifts, and is necessary to perform open trench construction on the storm line. Traffic control signage and a signed detour will be in place. The project is anticipated to be complete by the end of November.

To find the complete information about the new hours and the project, which is adding a southbound-to-eastbound left turn lane and replacing signals with “intelligent” equipment (video detection and connection to city computer controls), click here.