Welcome to construction season: Revive I-5 in Seattle is back
Jun 7, 2024, 2:22 PM
Crews have been working on the Revive I-5 project. (Photo courtesy of the Washington State Department of Transportation)
(Photo courtesy of the Washington State Department of Transportation)
Drivers commuting between Seattle and Tukwila will have a hard time getting through work this weekend thanks to the Revive I-5 project.
For those planning to travel on Interstate 5 (I-5) south near Boeing Access Road, expect delays of more than 20 minutes depending on the time of day. The traffic will be a result of Revive I-5 in South Seattle to replace concrete panels and joints, according to Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) spokesperson Tom Pearce.
“This weekend, on southbound I-5 near Boeing Field, we’re going to be replacing concrete near the Military Road overpass. So we’re going to have to reduce the freeway down to two lanes. And people will have to prepare for delays,” Pearce said.
He said the work is part of the Duwamish River to Lucille Street project, which the agency has been working on and replaced a lot of concrete.
“So now we’re getting down to the last few weekends,” Pearce said. “We’re going to replace the concrete approaching the Military Road overpass southbound and then we’re gonna be back for a couple more weekends to replace expansion joints on both the southbound and northbound Military Road overpasses.”
The work will also include overnight lane closures during the work week, which give crews time to complete other work like removing ruts in the road.
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Looking more at the Revive I-5 project
“This Revive I-5 project is just one aspect of the critical preservation work occurring in the state,” Pearce explained. “Lane and ramp closures on northbound and southbound I-5 will continue between Seattle and Tukwila until fall 2024.”
Even though lane closures create big backups, the more than 200,000 daily commuters between Seattle’s SODO neighborhood and Tukwila, will have to grin and bear it until construction season is over.
The Revive I-5 project which is an umbrella of dozens of preservation projects for I-5 in King and Snohomish Counties, aims to smooth the surface by replacing concrete panels and expansion joints. The construction project will also grind down any ruts to preserve the lifespan for decades to come.
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This is not the first time the Revive I-5 project has led to road closures and possible traffic backups this year. Portions of downtown Everett were closed in the middle of May; work took place between Seattle and Tukwila at the end of March and construction occurred at Boeing Access Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Tukwila in February.
For the latest construction closure information, visit the WSDOT real-time travel map, download the WSDOT traffic app or sign up for email updates.
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