Headed to an event this weekend? You may be stuck in road work

Apr 12, 2025, 5:35 AM

Expect 'Lengthy delays' on I-405 in Kirkland this weekend. (Photo Credit: WSDOT)

(Photo Credit: WSDOT)

KIRO Newsradio Traffic Reporter

With the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival underway and a full deck of sports in Seattle, the roads will be packed. Here are some of the projects taking place this weekend that you will want to avoid or plan on adding time to your commute.

Everett: Northbound SR 529

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will close all northbound lanes of State Route 529 (SR 529) at the Steamboat Slough for pavement work. WSDOT will provide a shuttle service to carry pedestrians, cyclists, and mobility device users around the closure.

Drivers will still be able to access Smith Island from northbound SR 529, but will only be able to leave the island on southbound SR 529 during the weekend closure between 9:30 p.m., Friday, through 5 a.m., Monday.

Drivers should prepare for added volumes on northbound Interstate 5 (I-5) through Everett all weekend.

Kirkland: Southbound I-405

WSDOT crews continue to make progress with the I-405/Northeast 85th Street Interchange and Inline Station Project. This weekend will require the closure of 2 lanes southbound on Interstate 405 (I-405) between NE 124th Street and NE 85th Street. Crews will prepare the roadway for the southbound traffic switch to the new bridge in the coming weeks.

During the lane reductions, the Express Toll Lanes (ETLs) will be open to all drivers. Heads up: at a later date, the general-purpose lanes of southbound I-405 will shift to the new bridge during an overnight lane reduction, with the southbound ETLs shifting shortly after. Those dates have yet to be confirmed by WSDOT.

This project runs between 10:30 p.m., Friday through 6:30 a.m., Monday. Drivers headed to Seattle for games this weekend will need to add plenty of extra time to your commute.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge

Drivers traveling westbound on State Route 16 (SR 16) from Tacoma could see late night back ups. A section of highway will need 2 consecutive overnight closures to address expansion joint seals.

7 p.m. Friday, April 11 until 5 a.m. Saturday, April 12

Two left lanes approaching the bridge, including the HOV lane, will close.

7 p.m. Saturday, April 12 until 5 a.m. Sunday, April 13

Two right lanes approaching the bridge will close.
Jackson Avenue on-ramp to westbound SR 16 will close.
During the work, the HOV lane will remain open to all travelers.

These repairs are to the surface of the road at the east approach and does not include any bridge work itself.

Dupont: I-5 closure at Steilacoom-Dupont Road

If you happened to get stuck in this closure last weekend, this weekend is a repeat.

WSDOT crews need one final weekend to wrap up this portion of the new overpass at I-5 and Steilacoom-Dupont Road. This massive undertaking involves placing steel beams over 50-yards in length and weighing over 200,000 pounds each over the busy freeway.

Most of the work was accomplished last weekend, but there’s still more to do. To safely guide these girders in place WSDOT needs to close the freeway in both directions at the work zone.

Overnight Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12, crews will reduce travel lanes in both directions of I-5 to a single lane. That one lane will detour up and over the Steilacoom-DuPont Road off- and on-ramps. Law enforcement will be in place to assist with traffic control at both the northbound and southbound I-5 ramps.

I-5 lane closures start at 8 p.m.
At 10 p.m. one lane will begin using the off- and on-ramps at Steilacoom-DuPont Road.

Lanes begin reopening at 6 a.m. Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13

During these hours WSDOT recommends:

Add at least one hour of extra travel time.
Consider postponing or rescheduling discretionary trips.
If possible, travel before or after the work.

WSF: Sunday Bike Ride on Vashon Island

Sunday, April 13, plan for possible delays and limited vehicle capacity on our Vashon Island routes as hundreds of bicyclists cross the island for the Ride for Major Taylor.

The heaviest bike traffic is expected:

Departing Point Defiance: 9:15 a.m. to 12:35 p.m.
Vashon to Fauntleroy sailings: Midday through the afternoon

If you’re driving onto the ferry, please plan ahead for delays or consider alternate travel times or routes.

Take transit to all your sporting events in Seattle

- Seattle Reign FC will have a match at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at Lumen Field;
- The Seattle Mariners will play Friday and Saturday at 6:40 p.m. and on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. at T-Mobile Park;
- The Kraken will play on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Climate Pledge Arena;