Weekend road closure won’t make travel in Seattle easy for anyone
May 31, 2018, 6:29 AM | Updated: Jun 1, 2018, 6:17 am
(File, Associated Press)
(File, Associated Press)
A closure on I-5 in Seattle will undoubtedly cause traffic delays this weekend.
RELATED: State tackles dangerous intersections near I-405
Northbound I-5 will be closed at the West Seattle Bridge as the state continues the paving project known as “Revive I-5.” The closure begins at 7 p.m. on Friday and lasts through Monday morning. The northbound freeway will also be down to two lanes across the Duwamish River out of Tukwila for expansion joint repair.
Tom Pearce with the Washington State Department of Transportation said the state will be restricting access to northbound I-5 from I-405.
“All of the on-ramps, starting with 405 southbound (to northbound I-5) are going to be closed,” he said.
That extends all the way to the West Seattle Bridge, where all traffic will be forced off the freeway. If you are coming from West Seattle, you will be able to use I-5.
“We’re going to have one lane of northbound I-5 open, and we’ll take you into the collector-distributor lanes to get to I-90,” Pearce said. “You can use the downtown exits. You can continue onto northbound I-5.”
Drivers will also be able to access northbound I-5 from westbound I-90.
You might wonder why the state isn’t keeping that one lane open from before the West Seattle Bridge. Pearce said there just isn’t enough room there to do it. The contractors are working in the two center lanes, and they need the outside lanes for a safety barrier.
If you’re heading to a Mariners game this weekend, you will need a plan. You should expect up to an hour delay getting to Safeco Field. You can ride light rail for free if you show a game ticket. Mariners spokesperson Rebecca Hale recommends going early.
“The routes that you think are not going to be very crowded are probably going to be very crowded,” she said. “Give yourself a lot of extra time. You can come to the ballpark early and have a hot dog or watch batting practice.”
Highway 2 closure postponed
As for the second half of our double whammy — the full closure of westbound Highway 2 between Snohomish and Everett — that work was once again delayed due to the weather forecast.
“We need the roadway to be completely dry, no rain for 24 hours, because the water-proofing material that we’re using to protect the trestle from our harsh Pacific Northwest weather won’t properly adhere if there has been any water on the structure,” WSDOT spokesperson Frances Fedoriska said.
Getting around
Revive I-5 will close northbound I-5 at the West Seattle Bridge, however a single lane of traffic can get onto northbound I-5 from the West Seattle Bridge/Spokane St. This puts added pressure on the alternate routes such as northbound SR 99, First Avenue S., Fourth Avenue S., and Airport Way S.
In the past we’ve seen diversion over to northbound I-405.
King County Metro says, “Plans are similar to previous weekends of Revive I-5 work – Buses that travel that section of the I-5 corridor may be rerouted to surface streets, but no stops will be missed. Congestion is expected in SODO, some buses may be rerouted.”
Sound Transit says, “Sounder train is running to the Mariners Sunday afternoon game and [we] are boosting our #574 service out of Pierce County to run every 15-20 minutes all weekend. That route will get you to link light rail at Angle Lake to avoid the backups into Seattle.”
