Interstate 405 (Washington)

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Interstate 405 Number based on I-5 –
legal definition
Length:	30.3 mi (48.76 km)
Formed:	c. 1970-71
South end:	I-5/SR 518 in Tukwila
Major junctions:	SR 167 in Renton SR 900 in Renton I-90 in Bellevue SR 520 in Bellevue SR 908 in Kirkland SR 522 in Bothell
North end:	I-5/SR 525 in Lynnwood
Washington State Routes < US 395 SR 410 >

Interstate 405 (abbreviated I-405) in Washington is a 30-mile loop route that bypasses Seattle east of Lake Washington. The northern terminus is in Lynnwood and the southern terminus is in Tukwila. The highway runs through what has since become the "Eastside" technology center of Redmond, Bellevue, and Kirkland, making it an often congested commuter path. I-405 is known for its meandering "S-curves" through Renton. It intersects with Interstate 90 and a number of major state routes. Its official name is "Renton Freeway," though it is not so signed. Interstate 405 was laid over historic Secondary State Highway 2A. The speed limit for the entire freeway is 60 mph (96.6 km/h).

Contents 1 Major interchanges 2 Major cities and suburbs 3 Control cities 4 Future Plans 5 Exit List 6 Trivia 7 References

[edit] Major interchanges

• State Route 518 (continuation beyond Tukwila)
• Interstate 5 (southern terminus in Tukwila)
• State Route 167 (exit 2 in Renton)
• State Route 900 (exit 5 in Renton)
• Interstate 90 (exit 11 in Bellevue)
• State Route 520 (exit 14 in Bellevue)
• State Route 522 (exit 23 in Bothell)
• State Route 527 (exit 26 in Mill Creek)
• Interstate 5 (northern terminus in Lynnwood)
• State Route 525 (continuation beyond Lynnwood)

[edit] Major cities and suburbs

• Lynnwood
• Bothell
• Kirkland
• Bellevue
• Newcastle
• Renton
• Tukwila

[edit] Control cities

Nearly every city I-405 passes through (see list above) is listed as a control city at some point either on the freeway or a highway interchanging with it (only Newcastle and Tukwila are not). Additional control cities that are not located on I-405 are:

Northbound

• Everett

Southbound

• Seattle
• Tacoma
• Burien

[edit] Future Plans

I-405 is considered as one of the worst congested freeways in Washington State. Many traffic and civil engineers over the past 10 years have questioned the future of this crowded bypass.

Currently underway is the Nickel Project, which is part of a master-plan to widen I-405 to be able to accommodate the ever-growing traffic problem on the Eastside of Seattle. Originally intended as a bypass to the already crowded I-5, I-405 has become just as commercially congested. The plan is expected to go through phases: adding HOV access lanes to Park & Rides, widening all of I-405 from its northern terminus to the southern terminus by at least one lane, and improving traffic flow on the freeway by widening overpasses and other freeways that converge into 405.

Construction of the Nickel Project has already started in spring of 2006, and will go through several different phases. Two of the phases are expected to be underway in 2007, one of them between 112th Ave and I-90 adding a lane in each direction to the six-laned backed up freeway. The other is in Renton, where they will be widening the freeway with one lane in each direction from the southern terminus (I-5) to State Route 169. Both projects are estimated to be completed by 2009. The first new lanes of the project opened on Thursday, October 12, 2006, southbound between NE 116th Street and NE 85th Street, adding an additional general purpose lane for a total of one HOV lane and four general purpose lanes.^[1]

[edit] Exit List

Number	Direction	Destinations	Notes
	North	Begin Freeway
	South	Continues as State Route 518
1	North/South	State Route 181 Southcenter
2	North/South	State Route 167 North Renton City Center State Route 167 South Kent
4	North/South	State Route 169 Maple Valley Hwy State Route 900 West
5	North/South	State Route 900 East / NE Park Drive / Issaquah
6	North/South	NE 30th St	Kennydale
7	North/South	NE 44th St	Kennydale / May Creek
9	North/South	Newcastle
10	North/South	Coal Creek Pkwy	Factoria
11	North/South	Interstate 90 West Mercer Island / Seattle Interstate 90 East Spokane
12	North/South	SE 8th St
13A	North/South	SE 4th St
13B	North/South	NE 8th St
HOV	North/South	NE 6th St	No general access
14	North/South	State Route 520 West Seattle State Route 520 East Redmond
17	North/South	NE 70th St
18	North/South	State Route 908 Redmond / Kirkland / NE 85th St
20A	North only	NE 116th St
20B	North/South	Totem Lake Blvd
HOV	North/South	Totem Lake Park & Ride	Under Construction
22	North/South	NE 160th St
23	North/South	State Route 522 West Bothell / Seattle State Route 522 East to U.S. Route 2
24	North/South	NE 195th St / Beardslee Blvd
		King - Snohomish county line
26	North/South	State Route 527	Bothell Everett Highway
	North/South	Interstate 5
	North	Continues as State Route 525
	South	Begin Freeway

[edit] Trivia

• I-405 is referenced in the Washington band Death Cab For Cutie's song "405," found on their 2000 release, We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes.

[edit] References

1. ^ WSDOT Website

	edit Auxiliary routes of Interstate 5
I-105	California - Oregon
I-205	California - Oregon/Washington
I-305	California
I-405	California - Oregon - Washington
I-505	California
I-605	California
I-705	Washington
I-805	California
past/ future	I-305: Oregon - I-505: Oregon - I-605: Washington - I-905: California

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