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South Downtown I-405 Access Study: Alternatives Evaluation Open House

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Thank you for your interest in the South Downtown I-405 Access Study. The consultation period for this online open house has concluded.

Map of the study area in south downtown Bellevue. The study area extends to Northeast Second Street to the north, 112th Avenue Southeast to the west, south of Southeast Eighth Street to the south and Lake Hills Connector to the east. The map also includes the planning Link light rail and station, Grand Connection, Lake to Lake greenway trails and King County’s Eastrail

2/19/21: The open house is closed.

Welcome! This is the city’s second online open house to gather public feedback on interchange alternatives. Our goal is to ease traffic congestion and help people get where they need to go in south Downtown Bellevue, whether they are walking, biking, riding transit or driving. This online open house closes at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb 19.

Thank you for participating in this online open house to learn about our analysis findings and share input on five remaining alternatives.

  • Lake Hills Connector southbound on-ramp
  • Southeast Sixth Street extension and southbound on-ramp
  • Southeast Sixth Street extension inside access (formerly called Southeast Sixth Street extension with express toll lane access to and from the south)
  • Northeast Second Street extension
  • No build (no new interchange)

The City Council will collaborate with the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and consider technical analysis and community input before selecting a preferred alternative. Ultimately, the state legislature has the decision-making authority to fund the project. More information about the study can be found on the South Downtown I-405 Access Study webpage.

Following this round of community engagement, the study team will present the analysis findings along with stakeholder and public input to the council in April for its consideration in selecting a preferred alternative. If you would like to receive a meeting agenda notice, go to BellevueWA.gov/city-council.

To learn more about our evaluation of each alternative, select the “View Alternatives” tab below. Submit your comments in the "Share Feedback" tab below. You can also ask a question. See our frequently asked questions (FAQs) to the right for answers to common questions we have heard.

Background

The city and WSDOT evaluated several interchange concepts, between Northeast Second Street and Southeast Eighth Street. We also studied the results of not building a new interchange, a no build option. This study stems from WSDOT’s I-405 Master Plan adopted in 2002. We conducted this technical analysis on two levels, or tiers.

Tier 1 screening

We evaluated 13 alternatives, including the no build option, under a fatal flaw screening. This process considered compatibility with Bellevue’s transportation and land use plans and polices, compliance with federal and state policies and feasibility of construction. Five alternatives passed the Tier 1 screening and advanced to the Tier 2 evaluation. In addition to feedback from stakeholders within the study area, we captured community feedback in the first online open house held in August 2020 (see the FAQ section to the right for main themes from the first online open house).

In September 2020, the council selected five alternatives, including the no build option, for further analysis.

Tier 2 evaluation

We evaluated the remaining alternatives on:

Alignment with adopted plans and policies
Impact on property development

Travel time

Costs (right-of-way, design, construction, impact mitigation)

Access and safety


Stakeholder and community input are key factors in both screening processes. Please refer to the FAQ section to the right for more details about the evaluation process.

Map of the study area in south downtown Bellevue. The study area extends to Northeast Second Street to the north, 112th Avenue Southeast to the west, south of Southeast Eighth Street to the south and Lake Hills Connector to the east. The map also includes the planning Link light rail and station, Grand Connection, Lake to Lake greenway trails and King County’s Eastrail

2/19/21: The open house is closed.

Welcome! This is the city’s second online open house to gather public feedback on interchange alternatives. Our goal is to ease traffic congestion and help people get where they need to go in south Downtown Bellevue, whether they are walking, biking, riding transit or driving. This online open house closes at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb 19.

Thank you for participating in this online open house to learn about our analysis findings and share input on five remaining alternatives.

  • Lake Hills Connector southbound on-ramp
  • Southeast Sixth Street extension and southbound on-ramp
  • Southeast Sixth Street extension inside access (formerly called Southeast Sixth Street extension with express toll lane access to and from the south)
  • Northeast Second Street extension
  • No build (no new interchange)

The City Council will collaborate with the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and consider technical analysis and community input before selecting a preferred alternative. Ultimately, the state legislature has the decision-making authority to fund the project. More information about the study can be found on the South Downtown I-405 Access Study webpage.

Following this round of community engagement, the study team will present the analysis findings along with stakeholder and public input to the council in April for its consideration in selecting a preferred alternative. If you would like to receive a meeting agenda notice, go to BellevueWA.gov/city-council.

To learn more about our evaluation of each alternative, select the “View Alternatives” tab below. Submit your comments in the "Share Feedback" tab below. You can also ask a question. See our frequently asked questions (FAQs) to the right for answers to common questions we have heard.

Background

The city and WSDOT evaluated several interchange concepts, between Northeast Second Street and Southeast Eighth Street. We also studied the results of not building a new interchange, a no build option. This study stems from WSDOT’s I-405 Master Plan adopted in 2002. We conducted this technical analysis on two levels, or tiers.

Tier 1 screening

We evaluated 13 alternatives, including the no build option, under a fatal flaw screening. This process considered compatibility with Bellevue’s transportation and land use plans and polices, compliance with federal and state policies and feasibility of construction. Five alternatives passed the Tier 1 screening and advanced to the Tier 2 evaluation. In addition to feedback from stakeholders within the study area, we captured community feedback in the first online open house held in August 2020 (see the FAQ section to the right for main themes from the first online open house).

In September 2020, the council selected five alternatives, including the no build option, for further analysis.

Tier 2 evaluation

We evaluated the remaining alternatives on:

Alignment with adopted plans and policies
Impact on property development

Travel time

Costs (right-of-way, design, construction, impact mitigation)

Access and safety


Stakeholder and community input are key factors in both screening processes. Please refer to the FAQ section to the right for more details about the evaluation process.

Thank you for your interest in the South Downtown I-405 Access Study. The consultation period for this online open house has concluded.

The study team will review and consider community feedback as we work to identify a preferred alternative.

If you have questions about the South Downtown I-405 Access Study or community engagement process, ask it here. A staff member will review all questions and post responses here. This tool closes at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb 19.

Thank you for stopping by our online open house and sharing your feedback! Visit the study website to learn more.

  • Share Another question for the City Council: 5) As the City’s growth will shift away from downtown to the East (Spring District/Bel-Red) in the next 25-50 years, what will be the greatest need for access to I-405? Is it from downtown (112th Ave) or from the East (116th Ave)? on Facebook Share Another question for the City Council: 5) As the City’s growth will shift away from downtown to the East (Spring District/Bel-Red) in the next 25-50 years, what will be the greatest need for access to I-405? Is it from downtown (112th Ave) or from the East (116th Ave)? on Twitter Share Another question for the City Council: 5) As the City’s growth will shift away from downtown to the East (Spring District/Bel-Red) in the next 25-50 years, what will be the greatest need for access to I-405? Is it from downtown (112th Ave) or from the East (116th Ave)? on Linkedin Email Another question for the City Council: 5) As the City’s growth will shift away from downtown to the East (Spring District/Bel-Red) in the next 25-50 years, what will be the greatest need for access to I-405? Is it from downtown (112th Ave) or from the East (116th Ave)? link

    Another question for the City Council: 5) As the City’s growth will shift away from downtown to the East (Spring District/Bel-Red) in the next 25-50 years, what will be the greatest need for access to I-405? Is it from downtown (112th Ave) or from the East (116th Ave)?

    Paul T asked almost 4 years ago

    Hi Paul T. Thanks for the question.

    While BelRed is attracting new developments, within the next 20 years significant more jobs and housing units are expected to be added in downtown, Wilburton, and adjacent areas through redevelopment. The planned improvement to the 124th Ave NE/SR-520 interchange by the state Department of Transportation will serve the growth in Belred; a new or improved access to I - 405 is needed to accommodate the anticipated growth in and around downtown area.

  • Share 1) What alternative gives the best access to the future southbound Express Toll Lanes on I-405? 2) Is direct access to I-90 more important (SE 8th Street) or direct access to southbound (NE 2nd street) Express Toll lanes? 3) If the “no build” option is selected, what is the impact on NE 6th Street for transit (both northbound and southbound on I-405)? 4) How does increased traffic to access the HOV lanes from NE 6th Street impact pedestrian access to the downtown Bellevue Transit Center/Light Rail station and future Bellevue pedestrian connector across I-405? on Facebook Share 1) What alternative gives the best access to the future southbound Express Toll Lanes on I-405? 2) Is direct access to I-90 more important (SE 8th Street) or direct access to southbound (NE 2nd street) Express Toll lanes? 3) If the “no build” option is selected, what is the impact on NE 6th Street for transit (both northbound and southbound on I-405)? 4) How does increased traffic to access the HOV lanes from NE 6th Street impact pedestrian access to the downtown Bellevue Transit Center/Light Rail station and future Bellevue pedestrian connector across I-405? on Twitter Share 1) What alternative gives the best access to the future southbound Express Toll Lanes on I-405? 2) Is direct access to I-90 more important (SE 8th Street) or direct access to southbound (NE 2nd street) Express Toll lanes? 3) If the “no build” option is selected, what is the impact on NE 6th Street for transit (both northbound and southbound on I-405)? 4) How does increased traffic to access the HOV lanes from NE 6th Street impact pedestrian access to the downtown Bellevue Transit Center/Light Rail station and future Bellevue pedestrian connector across I-405? on Linkedin Email 1) What alternative gives the best access to the future southbound Express Toll Lanes on I-405? 2) Is direct access to I-90 more important (SE 8th Street) or direct access to southbound (NE 2nd street) Express Toll lanes? 3) If the “no build” option is selected, what is the impact on NE 6th Street for transit (both northbound and southbound on I-405)? 4) How does increased traffic to access the HOV lanes from NE 6th Street impact pedestrian access to the downtown Bellevue Transit Center/Light Rail station and future Bellevue pedestrian connector across I-405? link

    1) What alternative gives the best access to the future southbound Express Toll Lanes on I-405? 2) Is direct access to I-90 more important (SE 8th Street) or direct access to southbound (NE 2nd street) Express Toll lanes? 3) If the “no build” option is selected, what is the impact on NE 6th Street for transit (both northbound and southbound on I-405)? 4) How does increased traffic to access the HOV lanes from NE 6th Street impact pedestrian access to the downtown Bellevue Transit Center/Light Rail station and future Bellevue pedestrian connector across I-405?

    Paul T asked almost 4 years ago

    Hi Paul T. I hope these answer your questions.

    1) What alternative gives the best access to the future southbound Express Toll Lanes on I-405?

    From the standpoint of improving access to the future southbound Express Toll Lanes on I-405, the SE 6th Street extension with inside access provides more capacity because it includes both on- and off ramps directly to and from the express toll lanes. But it is only one of the many factors to consider.

    2) Is direct access to I-90 more important (SE 8th Street) or direct access to southbound (NE 2nd street) Express Toll lanes?

    I’m not sure I understand the question, but all the mentioned facilities function as an integrated system. Any improvement to these facilities is expected to help improve travel experience to all users.

    3) If the “no build” option is selected, what is the impact on NE 6th Street for transit (both northbound and southbound on I-405)?

    Under the “no build” option, more traffic is expected to use the SE NE 6th St. because of one less choice. But the impact NE 6th St. is expected to be small relative to the impact to other adjacent interchanges because NE 6th St. is restricted to toll payers and HOV3+.

    4) How does increased traffic to access the HOV lanes from NE 6th Street impact pedestrian access to the downtown Bellevue Transit Center/Light Rail station and future Bellevue pedestrian connector across I-405?

    More traffic using NE 6th Street would make pedestrian needing to cross the street to access to the transit center/light rail station more difficult.

  • Share In my opinion, a third downtown access exit from 405 is needed. Main Street seems the best alternnatives on Facebook Share In my opinion, a third downtown access exit from 405 is needed. Main Street seems the best alternnatives on Twitter Share In my opinion, a third downtown access exit from 405 is needed. Main Street seems the best alternnatives on Linkedin Email In my opinion, a third downtown access exit from 405 is needed. Main Street seems the best alternnatives link

    In my opinion, a third downtown access exit from 405 is needed. Main Street seems the best alternnatives

    Robja asked almost 4 years ago

    Robja – Thank you for your comment about Main Street. A new interchange at Main Street was considered but it didn’t pass Tier 1 fatal flaw screening because it would:

    • Displace a major portion of 114th Avenue Northeast
    • Draw additional vehicle traffic to Main Street which would make the new light rail station at Main Street (and 112th Avenue Southeast). more difficult to access for people biking and walking
    • Not align well with the City's’ urban design policies which envision the future of Main street as pedestrian friendly with old town feel and look

     
    The Tier 1 evaluation criteria are noted in the FAQ section.