Q & A | HOV ramp salmon | I-405 work

Q: The commute to her office, which sits between Eastgate and Factoria, has prompted a couple of questions from Callene Lumbard.

She wondered how much the decorative salmon at the 142nd Street ramp on Interstate 90 cost, and it sounds like she isn't the only one.

"We have differing opinions in our group," she said in an e-mail.

Lumbard also wants to know why drivers who, like her, have offices on Southeast 36th Street between Eastgate and Factoria can't use the HOV ramps, "similar to Mercer Island traffic using them from Seattle on I-90. Very few cars use those ramps, wouldn't it be a better use of the project?"

A: First, the fish: Sound Transit spent $198,000 for the design, construction and installation of "Return of the Salmon" by Alex Young, according to Sound Transit spokesman Bruce Gray.

The project was funded through Sound Transit's art program, which designates 1 percent of all project construction costs to art. The 32 salmon aren't Copper River; they're bronze, cast from hand-carved molds, and intended to evoke migrating coho, chinook and sockeye salmon in Sunset Creek near the project. Each fish is about 6 feet long and weighs about 300 pounds.

As for Lumbard's question regarding the use of HOV lanes, Laura Johnson, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, explained in an e-mail that HOV direct-access ramps, including those at 142nd Place Southeast in Eastgate, were designed to safely carry limited amounts of traffic. That's why they're open only to buses and vehicles carrying two or more people.

More information about the direct-access ramps can be found at www.wsdot.wa.gov/HOV/DirectAccessRamps.

Early Warning

Interstate 405: Workers will close up to three lanes of northbound Interstate 405 between I-90 and the Wilburton train tunnel at night Sunday through Thursday to replace concrete road panels. The work is part of widening the freeway in south Bellevue between 112th Avenue Southeast and Southeast Eighth Street. One lane will close at 8 p.m., another at 10 p.m., and a third at 11 p.m. All lanes will reopen at 5 a.m. the following day.

Crews will close up to two right lanes of northbound I-405 between 112th Avenue Southeast and Coal Creek Parkway Tuesday through Thursday nights to install temporary piling. One lane will close at 8 p.m. and another lane at 11 p.m. All lanes will reopen at 5 a.m. the following day.

Bellevue: King County workers will install a drill casing and close the exterior northbound lane of the Lake Hills Connector through Wednesday. Work hours will generally be 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Expect slow-moving traffic and possible delays.

Redmond: Workers are widening Highway 520 in Redmond from two to four lanes in each direction and are building a flyover ramp from westbound Highway 202 to westbound 520. Crews will close both directions of Highway 202 between Northeast 76th and 70th streets from 10 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday to install temporary support structures for the new ramp. A detour will be in place.

Woodinville: Road resurfacing is scheduled to begin Tuesday on 140th Avenue Northeast from Northeast 181st Place to Woodinville-Snohomish Road. The paving is expected to take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and work is scheduled to be complete the week of Oct. 1. Lane closures are expected. Police will provide traffic control at intersections with traffic signals, and two flaggers will guide traffic at driveways.