The lane would start at the I-90/Dearborn northbound entrance ramp. Northbound, between I-90 and Northgate, an HOV lane would be created on the right side of the freeway. (The 65th Street left entrance is already HOV-only.)
Single-occupant vehicles (SOVs) would be allowed to enter the HOV lane to enter or exit the freeway at the Northgate express lane entrance, the left exit onto SR-520, and the left entrance from Mercer Street. Southbound, the existing left-side HOV lane would be extended along the missing span, between Northgate and the downtown express lane merge. It can be done, and all it would take is a bit of paint, signage, and Jersey barriers. In addition, I-5’s frequent left exits make it harder to design a free-flowing HOV lane.īut hard doesn’t mean impossible. But the I-5 express lanes are not disappearing, and so unlike with I-90, there isn’t an imminent need to replace lost capacity. HOV needs for this area are now being re-examined.Īs part of East Link, WSDOT is building two-way HOV lanes along the center of I-90. At the time of design it was thought that Reversible Express Lanes would serve the HOV needs of the area between Northgate and downtown Seattle. HOV lanes do not continue on the mainline where there are Reversible Express Lanes. This may have made sense in the 1950s, but it’s much less useful in today’s world of frequent two-way buses and dispersed urban centers.Įven the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) recognizes the problem.
Instead, there are reversible express lanes. One of the quirks of I-5 is the lack of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes between I-90 and Northgate.
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