Washington Department of Transportation officials are holding a public meeting Wednesday to discuss its $455.3 million “520 Montlake Project” and community calls for solutions to save the much-loved Montlake Market.

CHS reported in October on the higher construction bid for the project to create an improved Montlake Boulevard interchange, a landscaped lid over SR 520, a bicycle and pedestrian “land bridge” east of the lid, and a three-lane West Approach Bridge South over Union Bay for eastbound traffic.

Construction is slated to start in early 2019 start and the work could wrap up as early as 2023.

Neighbors continue to call on WSDOT to “save” the market as it expects to take over the property “needed for public use” later this year.

State officials have said the property will be “impacted” by the new 520 design including a changing grade around a planned onramp that will eliminate any possibility of the gas station in the lot returning. WSDOT has not closed the door on the market somehow remaining as part of the corner after construction is complete.

The Montlake Blvd Market, or Hop-In as old-timers and those with deeper Montlake roots might call it, lists an opening year of 1936. The property also has been the location of things like the neighborhood Christmas tree lot and many a charity car wash. The property’s owner has been Lynne Parrott, a Clyde Hill resident and Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman, Jr.’s niece, according to King County records. The property has a taxable value of around $1.4 million.

WSDOT has posted a “questions and answers” document about preserving the market. In it, officials address one of the issues repeatedly raised in community concern about the coming construction. Sorry, WSDOT says, but they’re not going to eliminate a new Montlake lid over 520. And, even if they did, it wouldn’t help. “The Montlake lid, whether built or not, has no direct effect on the Montlake Market building,” the document reads. “The rebuilt Montlake Boulevard overpass will have to be elevated about 4.5 feet to meet the federally required clearance above the roadway, comply with current structural codes, and accommodate site constraints.”

Join us Wednesday for 2nd public meeting regarding the Montlake Market The WSDOT SR 520 Program is hosting a public meeting this Wednesday, Jan. 30, to share information and gather community feedback on potential scenarios and tradeoffs associated with our efforts to preserve the Montlake Market building. Meeting topics will include: Recap of our November 2018 public meeting on the Montlake Market property

How WSDOT evaluated various ideas for preserving the market building

Overview of Graham Contracting Ltd.’s preliminary Montlake Project design

Potential scenarios for preserving the market building

Technical constraints and tradeoffs associated with the scenarios

Montlake Market property soil-testing update

Next steps Meeting Details: Date/Time: Wednesday, Jan. 30, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

WSDOT presentation at 5:40, followed by Q&A sessions and small-group discussions Location: St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church

2100 Boyer Ave. E., Seattle, WA 98112 Parking: Limited free parking is available onsite. Transit: Bus routes 43, 48, 255, 311, and 545 serve the Montlake/SR 520 area. The U Link light-rail station at Husky Stadium is about one mile from St. Demetrios Church. Questions? Email: SR520Bridge@wsdot.wa.gov

Call: 206-770-3554 (M-F; 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

Visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr520bridge