Noise wall construction on I-5 in central Seattle begins Monday, Sept. 9

SEATTLE – Construction on a new noise wall that will block sound from the Interstate 5 express lanes through Seattle’s Eastlake neighborhood will get underway Monday, Sept. 9. 

Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will build the noise wall along Boylston Avenue East, adjacent to southbound I-5 between East Edgar Street and Franklin Avenue.

People should plan for closures on Boylston Avenue East during the project. The work will also require nighttime and weekend single-lane closures of the Boylston Avenue off-ramp from southbound I-5. A detour will take travelers around the closure when the ramp is closed.

Once in place, the wall should lower the noise level for people who live near the freeway, WSDOT Project Engineer Clint Monken said. “This stretch of I-5, south of the Ship Canal Bridge, carries close to 300,000 vehicles per day and construction of this noise wall will help create a more peaceful environment for the Eastlake community,” he explained.

The wall becomes gradually taller from south to north, ranging from just under 10 feet high to nearly 36 feet high. It is made of decorative pre-cast concrete panels designed to make it aesthetically pleasing. To accommodate the wall, crews must also remove seven trees before construction begins.

WSDOT follows Federal Highway Administration regulations for reducing highway noise and uses a three-part process to evaluate noise wall feasibility. The state considers the noise level, the ability of a wall to substantially reduce that noise, and the cost associated with the project.

Work should be completed this winter.

Real-time travel information is available from the WSDOT mobile app and the WSDOT Travel Center Map or by signing up for WSDOT's email updates.