It's not just this weekend. They're demolishing it over the course of the next 3 weekends.

Plus the backup is expected to be over 15 miles, all the way backed up into Kirkland. They are fearing delays in excess of 2 hours as everyone jockeys to get over into position to take 520 across to Seattle.

As that is the posted detour be given.

I have to work in Bellevue all this weekend. I'm going to try and take back roads from downtown to I-90. They'll probably be packed too, but hopefully better than 520.

every weekend i watch the eastbound lanes of 520 and I-90 to watch souls get demolished

I thought removing roads reduces traffic?

You really should go to the Eastside.

Now.

Cause when the $3 toll on both I-90 and SR-520 kicks in starting in 2010, you'll wish you had while it was still free.

Mind you, you'll pay half as much if you have a full car (HOV lanes) and it's still free if you get there by bus or light rail.

You fail to mention that the eastside also has Big Buck Hunter Safari at the Mustard Seed 2. You can shoot lemurs people... lemurs.

i90 should be fine. i only traverse the eastside to get over the pass.

Because of course, real Seattleites don't know fuck-all or care about anything going on north of the Ship Canal, south of the Duwamish, or east of Lake Washington.

Do you people who constantly bitch about the Eastside have a fucking clue what you're talking about? No, you don't.

They mentioned it a few times on KOMO radio during the morning news.

6. Or, if you've got the athletic ability, you and your bike can hope on the Burke-Gilman and ride the 22-23 miles from UW to Redmond (which includes the scenic Sammammish River Trail).

All this thinking about the Eastside is making me hungry for rats.

I consider it a point of pride that I get hopelessly lost every time I try to go somewhere on the Eastside. Of course it's also highly frustrating, driving around and around on roads that all seem to have the same name and that never run on a grid system...

@13: Get a motherfucking Thomas Guide, whiner.

Because of course, real Seattleites don't know fuck-all or care about anything going on north of the Ship Canal, south of the Duwamish, or east of Lake Washington.

That's not fair Greg.

The Eastside has lovely malls. Then again, so does Seattle. The Eastside has some doggone fine parks. So does Seattle.

The King County Library System rocks the hizzy. Ehhhh, not a good reason to drive though.

There's a nature slough in Bellevue South of downtown which is pretty nice. I used to walk through it on the way home from school when I was a delinquent. It's pretty, in a slough-y sort of way, but I haven't had anything that's made me want to go there since.

If you want to live in the Eastside, knock yourself dead. Many of my friends do, and they're quite happy there.

But unless one of my friends invites me over for dinner, I can't think of any compelling reason why I'd want to drive myself or my family over there.

If you have some recommendations, I'm sure everyone on the SLOG would like to hear about it.

As far as I'm concerned, the East Side is anything east of I-5, and I hate going there. Bellevue isn't any worse than the U District or Capitol Hill, and has a better library.

I find it rather amusing that people in Seattle cannot find enough to do without writing(obviously envious) posts attempting to trash the Eastside. Oh and BTW - it is the Eastside of Lake Washington - not Seattle.

I've lived on both sides of the lake, but will never live on the west side again. Too much good stuff happening over here.

@15: You can not-go to the Eastside all you want. Really, be my guest. But there is no excuse for being ignorant of major demolition and road closures on 405, since it has a big impact on traffic on I-5, I-90, 520, 522, 167, and (possibly) 99.

You know, the funny thing is, half the time I've lived here I've worked on the Eastside.

So when I say something about the forests that use to be there or the nice dock in Kirkland, it's not Seattle hating on the Eastside, it's me pointing out it used to be way cooler than it is now.

I live on Capitol Hill but work on the Eastside. Wrong fucking weekend for my supervisor to ask me to work overtime...

Will @6: What light rail? Are you serious? Even the Sound Transit connection to Capitol Hill won't open until 2016. You and I will be in our mid 50s by then--do you actually think any rail connection to the Eastside will happen before we're dead from old age?

Uh, Will? That dock used to be pretty much the only thing in Kirkland. Well, aside from the dive bars and the rusted-out car factory. Oh, and wasn't there that golf course that kept flooding? Yeah.

And Bellevue has definitely gotten better since the '70s, unless you're nostalgic for cow pastures, bowling alleys, and parking lots.