HEADS UP: EB SR 520 off-ramp to Montlake Blvd closing for a FULL WEEK Sept. 12-19

We have a bit of a first coming up next week. We’re doing something we’ve never done before, and unfortunately for Montlake travelers, it involves a ramp closure. Everyone sufficiently nervous yet?

For the first time ever, the eastbound SR 520 off-ramp to Montlake Boulevard will close around-the-clock for a full week. From 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, through 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, there will be no getting to Montlake Boulevard from eastbound SR 520.

Now, you may have noticed those are two Saturdays. Two Saturdays that also happen to have UW home football games. Husky fans, we didn’t forget about you. The ramp will remain open for traffic heading to both games on Sept. 12 and Sept. 19. It closes at 4:30 p.m. after traffic has arrived for the Sept. 12 game and reopens at 8 a.m. the following Saturday ahead of the Sept. 19 game.

For the six days, 15 hours and 30 minutes in between? Things are going to look a little different.

Here’s the REALLY important part:

If you’re coming from I-5 and enter eastbound SR 520, you are crossing Lake Washington. There will be no exit to Montlake before the bridge.

No “oops, this is my exit.” No last-minute escape. You and your vehicle are going to the Eastside.

And because SR 520 is a tolled bridge, you’ll pay the toll when you cross**.** If your destination was actually Montlake, you’ll then need to turn around, take westbound SR 520 back across the lake and exit at Montlake. That means crossing the bridge twice and, yes, paying the toll twice.

An accidental tour of Lake Washington? Lovely. An accidental tour of Lake Washington when all you wanted was to get to Montlake? Maybe less so.

So, why a whole week?

Crews are getting ready to remove portions of the old eastbound SR 520 off-ramp to Montlake Boulevard, which closed back in June. During the closure, they’ll use the new temporary off-ramp to stage equipment needed to begin removing portions of the old ramp.

The old ramp needs to go to make room for another traffic shift coming in early 2027 as part of the SR 520 Portage Bay Bridge and Roanoke Lid Project.

How do I get to Montlake instead?

If you’re traveling northbound on I-5:

• Take the Lakeview Boulevard exit, just before the eastbound SR 520 exit, and head east.
• Continue north past SR 520, take the Northeast 45th Street exit and head east.

If you’re traveling southbound on I-5:

• Exit at Northeast 45th Street or Northeast 50th Street and head east.
• Take the Boylston Avenue East exit and head east.

The big takeaway: If Montlake is your destination, do not enter eastbound SR 520 from I-5 during this closure.

Otherwise, Lake Washington becomes part of your itinerary whether you planned for it or not.

Know your alternate route before you go, give yourself some extra time and please spare yourself the “wait… why am I crossing the bridge?” moment.