Image credit: Joe Mabel via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). License: CC BY-SA 4.0.
King County closed NE 128th Way near Redmond on Monday, August 17, 2026, for a fish-passage culvert replacement that will keep the corridor shut for up to eight weeks. Drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians who normally cut between 181st Avenue NE and Avondale Road NE now need a signed detour measured at just over five miles.
The county’s project page says the full closure started today and runs around the clock. The work zone sits in the Cottage Lake area just west of Avondale Road NE, and the road is closed even to first responders and school buses while crews swap a failing 18-inch metal pipe for a wider concrete box culvert.
- Start: Full closure began 7:00 a.m. on Monday, August 17, 2026.
- Duration: Up to eight weeks, 24 hours a day, both directions.
- Corridor: NE 128th Way between 181st Avenue NE and Avondale Road NE.
- Detour: State Route 202, NE 116th Street, and Avondale Road NE.
- Watch: Short Avondale crane stops with sheriff traffic control expected later.
What King County locked in on August 17
According to the official NE 128th Way Culvert Replacement Project page, construction began August 17 and the status note now reads as a same-day start. The county had warned for weeks that the closure could open as early as that Monday.
A separate King County Road Alert bulletin dated August 5 set the clock for 7:00 a.m. on August 17 and described a continuous, around-the-clock shutdown for up to eight weeks. That alert also said local access would remain for properties inside the work zone.
Travelers should treat those two official surfaces as the current rule set. Social posts from city channels can amplify the message, but the project page and Road Alert language are the ones to recheck when plans change.
Who feels the closure first
Anyone who uses NE 128th Way as a Cottage Lake shortcut between Avondale Road NE and 181st Avenue NE loses that link until the county reopens the road. That includes weekday school runs, delivery routes, bike riders, and people walking the corridor.
King County is explicit that the list of barred users is complete. First responders and school buses must also use the detour while the crane and other large equipment occupy the narrow work site.
Visitors staging Eastside trips out of the greater Seattle area should redraw driving times before leaving a hotel or rental car lot. A short neighborhood hop can become a multi-mile loop for the rest of the construction window.
How the five-mile detour works
The posted detour is just over five miles and uses State Route 202, NE 116th Street, and Avondale Road NE. Drivers should follow the signed path rather than inventing neighborhood cut-throughs that may dead-end at the closed segment.
Expect ordinary Eastside traffic to stack onto those alternate legs, especially around school arrival and evening return peaks. Build a buffer into airport transfers, ferry connections, and any timed reservation on the Sammamish or Redmond side of the corridor.
If you are combining city sightseeing with an Eastside stay, Deep Arrival’s Seattle things to do guide remains useful for the urban day plan. Just separate that itinerary from the Cottage Lake road math so the closure does not erase a tight museum or waterfront window.
Why the county chose a full shutdown
King County says the existing metal pipe is rusted, undersized, and close to failure. If the pipe gave way, water could wash out the roadway and force a sudden emergency closure that lasts longer than a planned replacement.
The pipe carries an unnamed tributary into Cottage Lake Creek. Officials describe it as a fish-passage barrier because summer flows can run too shallow, currents can move too fast, and the outlet can sit too high above the stream bed for fish to continue toward the Sammamish River.
The replacement is a larger concrete box culvert designed to behave more like a natural stream channel. County materials put the project budget near $1.76 million and frame the work as both road preservation and fish-passage restoration.
Crane moves at Avondale Road NE
The full NE 128th Way shutdown is not the only timing risk. Crews will also need occasional short closures at the Avondale Road NE intersection while a crane swings box-culvert sections into place.
King County says sheriff deputies will guide traffic during those moves and that delays should be expected. The Road Alert noted that those Avondale stops would begin a few weeks after the main closure started, with another alert promised when exact dates firm up.
That sequence matters for travelers who think they can ignore NE 128th Way and still cruise Avondale without friction. Recheck the project page and MyCommute before any day that depends on a fixed arrival time near the intersection.
What remains unsettled
The county is advertising an up-to-eight-week window, not a guaranteed reopen date printed on a ticket. Weather, equipment, and crew availability can still shift the calendar, and the August 5 Road Alert said the work may be rescheduled for those reasons.
Road Alerts and the MyCommute map are the official update channels. The project contacts listed on the county page include Road Services communications and the 24/7 road helpline at 206-477-8100 for unincorporated King County road issues.
Independent local news coverage of the August 17 start was still thin at publication time. Until a separate newsroom confirms a changed end date or a new access rule, rely on the county project page for the operative traveler instruction.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Normally drive NE 128th Way near Avondale | Switch now to the signed SR 202, NE 116th Street, and Avondale detour. |
| Bike or walk that Cottage Lake segment | Do not plan to pass the work zone; the closure bars pedestrians and cyclists too. |
| Need a fixed arrival near Avondale Road NE | Add buffer for later crane stops and recheck MyCommute the morning you travel. |
| Live or stay inside the work-zone pocket | Use only the local-access path the county maintains for properties in the zone. |
| Are routing Seattle visitors to Eastside parks | Rebuild drive times before you leave; the five-mile loop can erase a tight window. |
- Reroute today: Treat NE 128th Way as closed through the multi-week window unless King County posts an earlier reopen.
- Save the detour: State Route 202 to NE 116th Street to Avondale Road NE is the signed path for all modes.
- Watch Avondale: Short crane closures with sheriff control can still slow the intersection after the main shutdown begins.
- Recheck before travel day: Use the project page, Road Alerts, and MyCommute for end-date or crane-timing changes.
If your itinerary depends on this Cottage Lake link, lock the detour into maps now and keep one morning check on the county page before you roll. Do not wait for a surprise washout narrative; the planned closure is already live.
When did the NE 128th Way closure start?
King County says the full closure began at 7:00 a.m. on Monday, August 17, 2026, and continues around the clock.
How long will NE 128th Way stay closed near Redmond?
Official materials describe an up-to-eight-week window. Recheck the project page for any earlier reopen or extension.
What detour should drivers use?
Follow the signed route on State Route 202, NE 116th Street, and Avondale Road NE. The county measures that loop at just over five miles.
Can bikes or pedestrians still use the closed segment?
No. King County says the road is closed to vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians for the construction period.
Will Avondale Road NE also close?
Only in short bursts later, when crane crews move culvert sections. Sheriff deputies are expected to guide traffic during those stops.
