Two ramps with some of the highest percentages of wet weather related collisions in Washington state are about to get revamped.

Starting next week, contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will begin work on a $300,000 pilot project designed to increase traction on the 148th Avenue Southeast on-ramp to westbound Interstate 90 in Bellevue and to the eastbound State Route 526 on-ramp to southbound Interstate 5 in Everett. The work will require both ramps to be closed over a full weekend. This work is weather dependent.

The process, high friction surface treatment, involves attaching a sand-like aggregate to the roadway surface using industrial strength glue. The grittier roadway surface gives tires extra traction when the roadway surface is wet. While this project is the first of its kind for WSDOT in Puget Sound, it has proven successful in many other states across the country.

“It’s no secret that roadways, especially curved ramps, get slippery in the rain,” said WSDOT Transportation Engineer Dina Swires. “We expect to see a dramatic reduction in the number of collisions on both of the ramps for those drivers who overlook the posted advisory speed, misjudge the curves or are just not paying attention.”

In 2014, wet weather was a contributing factor in 84 percent of the crashes on the 148th Avenue Southeast on-ramp to I-90 and nearly 74 percent of the crashes on the eastbound State Route 526 on-ramp to I-5.

Ramp closure details

The work will require both ramps to be closed over a full weekend, which will be scheduled in the next few weeks. This work is weather dependent.

• The eastbound SR 526 ramp to southbound I-5 will be closed from 10 p.m. on a Friday to 5 a.m. the following Monday. Everett drivers will be detoured around the closure.
• The 148th Avenue Southeast on-ramp to westbound I-90 will be closed from 10 p.m. on a Friday to 5 a.m. the following Monday. Bellevue drivers will be detoured around the closure.