Major construction closures coming after July 4th
Jun 11, 2020, 6:33 AM
It used to be that summer construction season really got going after the 4th of July, but these days there is construction work going on around the year.
That said, the week after July 4th will mark the start of two large construction projects that will impact your way around.
The first impacts those of you already struggling to get in and out of West Seattle. The state is about to cut the primary West Seattle Bridge detour route for some much needed repairs.
The 1st Avenue South Bridge has become one of the only ways to get out of West Seattle and into Georgetown, but that drawbridge is in need of serious repairs. The state is going to be closing the northbound lanes for up to 14 nights. The southbound lanes will not be impacted.
Workers need to replace 14 bridge deck sections. The closures begin on July 6. The northbound lanes will close at 10 p.m. and reopen at 5 a.m. This work will not happen on Friday or Saturday nights.
During these overnight closures, drivers will be able to use the Lower Spokane Street Bridge to access West Seattle. Currently, that bridge is restricted to transit and emergency vehicles only.
The second project will have a huge impact on Sound Transit bus riders between Lynnwood and Seattle.
The freeway station between the north and southbound lanes of I-5, where people catch Sound Transit express buses and some Community Transit buses, will close July 6 for up to five months. The north end of that bus station is where the light rail line to Lynnwood will eventually cross from the east side of I-5 to the west side of the freeway.
“This work is to help build a column in the middle of the freeway, just north of the transit center, to support the guide-way as it crosses over I-5,” Sound Transit’s John Gallagher said. Workers need the freeway station as a construction zone.
All the operations on the east side of the freeway, next to the parking garage will not be impacted. The garage will remain open, and Sound Transit express bus riders will still be able to make their trips.
“We will be running a free shuttle from Mountlake Terrace to downtown Seattle for folks who would normally be taking ST Express buses,” Gallagher said.
Sound Transit will have that schedule up shortly, well before the closure begins.
If you haven’t driven between Seattle and Lynnwood lately, workers are doing a great job laying the foundation for the expansion. They are more than 50% finished drilling the shafts for the columns that will support the elevated portions of the tracks. The columns are sprouting up along the alignment, and despite a few weeks off because of the coronavirus, Gallagher said the Lynnwood line is still on schedule to open in 2024.
