SNOQUALMIE, Wash. — State Route 18 will be closed Friday morning between Snoqualmie and Maple Valley as transportation crews make emergency repairs to the roadway.
More than 7 miles of roadway will be closed from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. between Interstate 90 and Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast.
“We know this is going to be a major challenge, especially for freight traffic, but getting this extensive work done in one day will save money, time and headaches in the future,” WSDOT said Tuesday in a Facebook post.
An atmospheric river that brought heavy rainfall to the Puget Sound region last week damaged the asphalt on the roadway and needs to be fixed as quickly as possible, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
WSDOT said the closure was planned for Friday instead of the weekend because that was when the asphalt was available.
Drivers are urged to use alternate routes and should expect lengthy delays, WSDOT said.
The emergency work comes as several projects are planned to improve traffic flow and safety along the SR 18 corridor. WSDOT is building a diverging diamond interchange at I-90 to reduce back-ups during peak travel time. That project is underway, and construction is expected to be complete in 2025.
Beginning in 2025, WSDOT is also planning to widen a 5-mile section of SR 18 between Issaquah-Hobart Road and Deep Creek to lessen traffic congestion and reduce crashes. This project will involve repaving SR 18, WSDOT said.
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