Starting Thursday, carpoolers on southbound Interstate 405 and northbound State Route 167 in Renton can use the new I-405/SR 167 Interchange Direct Connector flyover ramp.

Originally expected to open to traffic in spring 2019, the I-405/SR 167 Interchange Direct Connector flyover ramp was completed four months ahead of schedule by the Washington State Department of Transportation and contractor Guy F. Atkinson. This is the first major project constructed in the Puget Sound region with funding from the state Connecting Washington package.

It is also the first phase of the Renton to Bellevue Widening and Express Toll Lanes Project, which will help to improve traffic operations throughout the corridor. The ramp will be the critical link that will create a 40-mile express toll lanes system. This highway will solve weaving issues associated with drivers exiting the carpool or high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, merging onto I-405 or SR 167, and merging across traffic again to the carpool or HOT lanes.

“With the savings from our previous I-405 corridor projects, we were able to speed up the design engineering and purchase the right of way necessary to start construction as soon as we received funding from the Connecting Washington funding package,” said I-405/SR 167 Program Administrator Kim Henry. “Thanks to drivers’ patience and the project team’s hard work, we are pleased to complete this improvement ahead of schedule.”

The I-405/SR 167 Interchange Direct Connector flyover ramp now connects the high occupancy toll lanes on SR 167 to the high occupancy vehicles lanes on I-405. The new ramp is open to 2+ HOV from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., and single occupancy vehicles from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Vehicles over 10,000 gross vehicle weight are prohibited at all times.