Drivers, take heed: a Washington State Department of Transportation project will close a portion of East Lake Sammamish Parkway just north of Interstate 90 from June 13-18, re-opening on the morning of the 19th.

The I-90 on- and off-ramps at Exit 17 will remain open, but anyone exiting the freeway will not be able to access the parkway at that location. People driving south on the parkway will also not be able to get onto I-90.

The project will see WSDOT crews realigning North Fork Issaquah Creek so that it flows under East Lake Sammamish Parkway instead of under the Front Street/I-90 on- and off-ramps.

Additionally, two culverts that are wider than the current culverts will be installed, allowing salmon to more easily travel upstream.

“The existing culverts are a barrier to fish. Water flows are occasionally too low or strong for fish to navigate upstream,” states the project description on the WSDOT website. “Moving the creek so it crosses the [freeway] once and installing a wider culvert will allow the creek to flow more naturally under the [freeway] and improve the fish habitat in the area.”

June is a busy time of year for travel, especially for people using interstates. As a result, WSDOT is expecting some backups to occur, especially during peak driving hours.

“There are about 50,000 cars that use that road [per day],” WSDOT spokesperson Marquise Allen said. “That’s 50,000 cars that will have to go somewhere else. We do expect there to be some delays during the busier time of the day, but unfortunately this work can only be done during the summer months.”

The project is expected to last the duration of the summer, with occasional single lane closures occuring. However, Allen said that this will be the only major road closure.

WSDOT has been closely coordinating the roadwork with the city of Issaquah so that the East Lake Sammamish Parkway closure does not overlap with the Southeast 62nd Street closure, which is scheduled to begin in late June and remain in place through late 2018.

Allen said that it is possible the construction may finish up sooner than originally anticipated.

“We’re going to pretty much try to have our contractor get in and get out,” Allen said. “Regardless, the road will be open on the 19th if not sooner.”