Washington...
WA 522:
Summary:
| Segment |
Existing Access |
Future Access |
| I-5 to NE 145th St (WA 523) |
City Street / Boulevard - 35 mph |
City Street / Boulevard - 35 mph |
| NE 145th St to 96th Ave NE |
5 lane Boulevard with transit only shoulders - 45 mph. |
5 lane Boulevard with transit only shoulders - 45 mph. |
| 96th Ave NE to East Bothell |
City Street/Boulevard - 35mph (History: WA 522 has approaches on either side of downtown Bothell that were for a once proposed freeway bypass. The west end was reconstructed into a 5 lane configuration.) |
City Street/Boulevard - 35mph |
| East Bothell to WA 524 |
Freeway - 4 lanes divided by 48 foot median. Speed limit 60. |
Freeway - 4 lanes divided by 48 foot median. Speed limit 60. |
| WA 524 to 1 mile east of WA 524 |
4 lane divided expressway - Speed Limit 55 |
4-lane Freeway. This upgrade is included in the 2003-2022 State Highway Plan. |
| 1 mile east of WA 524 to Snohomish River |
Super two expressway. Speed limit 55. |
4-lane Freeway. This upgrade is included in the 2003-2022 State Highway Plan. |
| Snohomish River to US 2 |
Super two freeway. Speed limit 55. |
4-lane Freeway. This upgrade is included in the 2003-2022 State Highway Plan. |
Junction Log:
| Segment |
Type of Access |
| I-5 |
|
| Other Ramps |
|
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WA 522 is a boulevard between I-5 and East Bothell, and becomes a freeway shortly before reaching I-405.
|
| I-405 |
Full directional freeway to freeway interchange
|
| WA 202 / Woodinville |
Diamond interchange |
| NE 195th St / Duvall |
1/2 diamond interchange - west |
| WA 9 |
Folded diamond interchange |
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WA 524 to 1 mile east of WA 524: 4 lane divided expressway. Speed limit lowers to 55.
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1 mile east of WA 524 to Snohomish River: Super two expressway. Speed limit 55.
|
| WA 524 |
Traffic Signal (WSDOT plans for a future diamond interchange in near term.) |
| Fales Rd / Echo Lake Rd |
Traffic Signal - SPUI is currently under construction to be completed by 2006. WA 522 will pass over a new 4 lane section of Fales Rd/Echo Lake Rd. January 2006 Update: Girders are in place for the WA 522 westbound bridge over Fales/Echo Lake Rd, which will be 3 lanes wide. There will be room left for a 2 lane eastbound bridge adjacent to be built later (see below). The entire WA 522 roadway currently follows the future eastbound on and off ramps during construction. Fales Rd and Downes Rd have been moved to their final alignments. The entire SPUI interchange is scheduled to be complete by spring 2006! |
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Snohomish River to US 2 - Super two freeway. Speed limit 55.
|
| 164th ST SE / Main St - Monroe |
Diamond, with eastbound on and off ramps terminating onto a large 5 way roundabout with Main St, Old Tester Rd, and 164th St SE |
| US 2 |
Signal light (The current alignment is a future off ramp from East WA 522 to Old US 2 upon completion of the future folded diamond configuration.) |
| Future US 2 freeway |
3Y Interchange proposed |
History:
Originally, WA 522 started in Seattle at Old US 99 and traveled east along Fairview Ave, and then turned to the north along Eastlake Ave (Eastlake was 4 lanes undivided at the time, but now has one through lane and center turn lane on off peak hours. Parking is allowed in the curb lane when not peak hours.) WA 522 then crossed the University Bridge where Eastlake turned into a one way couplet - 12th Ave NE northbound, and Roosevelt Way NE Southbound which continues to Lake City Way. WA 522 then traveled Lake City Way as it does today, changing to Bothell Way north of NE 145th St (WA 523). NE Bothell Way continues to 1/2 mile before I-405. The pre I-405 days had WA 522 running through what is now called "Brackett's Landing" which is to the right where the freeway begins to the left. WA 522 crossed the Sammamish River and followed Riverside Dr. turning to the south now - immediately under the existing freeway to freeway interchange where I-405 and WA 522 cross today. Riverside Dr then junctions WA 202 west of Woodinville, where WA 522 then followed the existing WA 202 south into Redmond, then east to North Bend at US 10. Upon completion ofI-405 to the "Woodinville interchange" (which is Jct WA 522 and I-405), WA522 was moved to the freeway alignment between Brackett's Landing and the existing WA 202 interchange. WA 522 was then routed as WA 202 is today. Then after some confusion, WA 522 and WA 202 were then swapped so that WA 522 continued east to Monroe, and WA 202 ran along the former WA 522 routing into Redmond and Ultimately North Bend (Now I-90 as US 10 no longer exists in WA!).
There was also an old proposal for a WA 522 freeway between The I-5 Lake City junction and East Bothell (the current freeway approach) which died I believe in the 70's sometime. The freeway also had a southbound freeway connector from Lake City to the RH Thompson Expressway through the U of W district (which is also dead.) Evidence of the RH Thompson Expressway proposal is the "Ramps to nowhere" along WA 520 at the Lake Washington Blvd interchange. The RH Thompson Expressway was fabled to connect through the Rainier Valley to connect to the existing WA 167 freeway (once again, the proposal is now defunct). I am not sure what highway number was designated (if any) for the stretch between WA 167 and WA 522. Probably WA 167.
Future Improvements:
1) The corridor between NE 145th St (WA 523) and Brackett's Landing is scheduled to undergo some safety improvements. Transit/right turn only lanes will be add throughout the entire stretch, and business access will also be limited as well as traffic signals be timed.
2) WA 522 will have a new Cascadia College access at Brackett's Landing including a traffic signal at the entrance.
3) WA 522 will be upgraded to a full freeway between I-405 and US 2 with new interchanges at WA 524/Paradise Lake Rd (Diamond) and Fales Rd/Echo Lake Rd (SPUI - Under construction as of 1-2006). WA 522 will have 2 lanes separated by a 48 foot grass median for the entire length.
4) Once the Fales Rd / Echo Lake Rd interchange project is done, the next phase widens WA 522 between Paradise Lake Rd and the Snohomish River bridge. This includes the second sister structure at Fales/Echo Lake Rd. Depending on funding, the project could start by 2008 and be complete by 2010 or 2011.
5) The Nickel Gas tax has funding set aside for the last widening project - Snohomish River to US 2 (existing US 2 not the Bypass). Work is scheduled to begin in 2009 and be complete in 2012.
6) The last vital piece of the WA 522 corridor is the Paradise Lake Rd interchange. There is no funding for final design or construction at this time. Once funding is available, it will take 2 and a half years to design the new interchange. It is also undetermined when construction may take place. (I personally find it amusing that Rand McNally atlases show this interchange being complete!)
7) WA 522 will ultimately be extended 1/2 mile to the north of it's east terminus upon completion of the US 2 Monroe Bypass including a 3Y junction at US 2.
Pictures: (separate page)
Sources:
Page by Chris Kalina. Also thanks to Mark Bozanich and Stephen Dailey. The WSDOT website is used as a source for the construction schedules.
Last Updated: 1/15/06
Comments:
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