Drivers heading north through downtown Seattle this weekend should prepare for major backups as 2 significant highway closures are expected to slow traffic.
Drivers heading north through downtown Seattle this weekend should prepare for major backups as two significant highway closures are expected to slow traffic to a crawl.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will close the I-5 express lanes, leaving just two northbound lanes available.
The work is part of the Revive I-5 project and involves maintenance on the Ship Canal Bridge. WSDOT said crews will be working on drainage pipes on the underside of the upper bridge deck.
The first closure is scheduled from 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, to early Monday, Sept. 14. A second weekend closure is planned from 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 5.
Another closure will also affect travel north of downtown Seattle.
Seattle: eastbound SR 520 off-ramp to Montlake
The eastbound State Route 520 off-ramp to Montlake Boulevard will close for a week from Saturday, Sept. 12, to Saturday, Sept. 19, so crews can tear down the old ramp.
“So it will start this Saturday at 4:30 p.m., four hours after the Husky game. Go around the clock Monday through Friday until next Saturday at 8 a.m.," Steve Peer of WSDOT said.
With drivers expected to divert away from northbound I-5, northbound Interstate 405 in Bellevue is also expected to see heavier traffic.
Mercer Island/Seattle: Westbound I-90 closed overnight
Westbound Interstate 90 will be closed across Lake Washington from 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, to 6 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, for tunnel maintenance.
Kirkland: I-405/Northeast 85th interchange
The I-405/Northeast 85th Street interchange in Kirkland will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, until 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 14.
Northeast 85th Street will close between Sixth Street and 120th Avenue Northeast. Crews will install electrical and prepare Northeast 85th Street for paving .
Bellevue/Kirkland: Weeknight I-405 lane, ramp closures
A pavement repair project underway since June continues weeknights along the I-405 corridor in Bellevue and Kirkland.
Drivers can expect overnight lane and ramp closures on both sections of I-405 between Northeast Eighth and 60th streets in Bellevue and Northeast 85th and 145th streets in Kirkland from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly Monday through Thursday nights.
There was some good news for drivers in Pierce County.
By Sunday morning, crews are expected to open the first two-mile segment of the State Route 167 Expressway between I-5 in Fife and State Route 509 near the Port of Tacoma.
The new segment is expected to give big rigs a more reliable and faster trip.
