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A road project in Sammamish we first highlighted four years ago has been completed. Issaquah-Fall City Road is once again open.

When I first did this story in 2017, plans were just getting started to eliminate a huge chokepoint on the eastside. So many people have moved to the Sammamish and Issaquah area over the last decade that the small two lane roads just couldn’t handle the growth. Issaquah-Fall City Road has been a popular way to get down to I-90.

I first interviewed then-mayor Christie Malchow in March 2017. She told me 22,000 cars a day were jamming the road, making it nearly impassable during the morning and afternoon commute, and that something needed to be done. Construction began in 2018.

“There is no doubt that this project is going to hurt,” Malchow told me in 2017. “It is going to be painful as we are going through the construction process, but I’m hopeful that it’s a short-term pain for a long-term gain.”

Over the last year, the road has been closed entirely as the city built a bridge over a low spot that also had a blocked culvert underneath.

Today, the road reopens. There are now two lanes in each direction. There is a new roundabout to help traffic move better. There are sidewalks and bike lanes around the nearby middle school.

I knew the city was close to reopening, and then I received a tweet from now deputy mayor Malchow saying, “remember interviewing me about the Issaquah-Fall City Road project … finally done.”

This should make getting into and out of the area much easier.

Check out more of Chris’ Chokepoints.