Construction is set to begin this coming summer on the first of a series of projects expected to span up to five years and cost $164 million. Those projects include tearing down and reconstructing both existing interchanges at Interstate 405 and NE 4th and NE 8th, the addition of an interchange at NE 6th, surface street extensions and revisions, improved signaling, as well as the provision of busses with direct access to an expanded Bellevue Transit Center.

Among other benefits, Access Downtown expects improvements to reduce transit-travel times for I-405 to the Bellevue Transit Center by 50% to 70%, reduce disruptions on the freeway with High Occupancy Vehicle ramps and increase traffic capacity.

As for how the project will handle traffic flow and transportation during the various phases, the answers are too numerous to list. However, detailed information about the projects, their impact and proposed solutions can be found at www.accessdowntown.com. Access Downtown is a multi-agency effort between Sound Transit, the City of Bellevue and numerous state and federal agencies.