The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced they were beginning repavement work on more than a dozen state highways this week, including I-90 and State Routes 18 and 202.

The roadway improvements are part of the state’s $7 million Northwest Region Emergency Pavement Repair Project, which will bring restoration to 88 locations in 23 communities across King, Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties. Repairs span 12 state highways and 20 miles of pavement repair.

Those improvements include work done along I-90 between Issaquah and North Bend, State Route 202 between Fall City and Snoqualmie, and on State Route 18. The project also includes bridge deck repairs near North Bend between exit 31 and 32.

Funding for the project comes after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed an emergency proclamation in January 2021. In that proclamation, Inslee called for immediate improvements to state routes, citing a significant amount of roadway damage caused by heavy rain, snowfall and flooding in 2021.

In a press release, WSDOT said a quarter mile stretch of westbound I-90 near North Bend between exit 31 and 32 was among the hardest hit by the winter storms. That section has needed a right lane closure since January, WSDOT said.

Maintenance crews with WSDOT said the roadway was in-need of a full reconstruction. Improvements on I-90 are expected to be wrapped up by September.

“The extra rainy spring pushed back our ability to fix a lot of these problems,” said WSDOT Project Engineer James Harper. “That and the size of this fix meant a longer timeline.”

Other improvements near the Valley include repaving on 202 between Fish Hatchery Road and Snoqualmie Falls, and State Route 18 between Issaquah-Hobart Road and the West Tiger Mountain parking lot.

While some of these improvements may cause daytime lane reductions, WSDOT says most work will be done during low-travel periods. The project is expected to wrap up in April 2023.

For improvements along State Route 18, workers will close the westbound lanes at Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast to the I-90 interchange starting at 11 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, until 4 a.m. Friday, Sept. 9. To access westbound SR 18 from I-90, take the Front Street exit to detour along Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast.