Drivers plan ahead: Next phase of Ship Canal Bridge closures announced
Nov 22, 2025, 5:00 AM
The Ship Canal Bridge. (Photo: @SounderBruce via Flickr Creative Commons)
(Photo: @SounderBruce via Flickr Creative Commons)
Revive I-5 will soon be back, bringing with it a slew of closures on the Ship Canal Bridge.
The Washington State Transportation Department (WSDOT) announced the closures planned for 2026, starting as soon as January.
“Preservation is how we take care of what keeps Washington moving. For too long, we’ve deferred the maintenance our system depends on, and we cannot defer any longer,” Washington Governor Bob Ferguson stated via a news release. “Our work on Revive I-5 is about protecting a key transportation backbone, keeping people and goods moving, and honoring the investments generations of Washingtonians have made.”
Revive I-5 work will cause reductions Ship Canal Bridge
Full Revive I-5 schedule as follows:
- Jan. 9-12: Weekend-long full closure of northbound I-5 for work zone setup.
- Jan. 12-June 5: Months-long northbound I-5 two-lane reduction across the Ship Canal Bridge.
- June 5-8: Weekend-long full closure of northbound I-5 for work zone removal.
- June 8-July 10: All lanes of I-5 reopened for FIFA World Cup games.
- July 10-13: Weekend-long full closure of northbound I-5 for work zone setup.
- July 13-end of 2026: Months-long reduction of two right northbound I-5 lanes across the Ship Canal Bridge.
- End of 2026: Weekend-long full closure of northbound I-5 for work zone removal.
WSDOT noted the closures will snarl traffic, and drivers are advised to plan ahead.
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“These months-long lane reductions across the Ship Canal Bridge and the weekend-long full closures will impact regional traffic,” Washington State Secretary of Transportation Julie Meredith stated in the release. “As we saw people do during the summer 2025 work on the Ship Canal Bridge, adjusting travel times, modes, and routes will help keep people moving to and through Seattle.”
While traffic impacts will be felt throughout Seattle, the agency emphasized the importance of maintaining the critical bridge that nearly 240,000 vehicles cross each day.
“Repairing and resurfacing the Ship Canal Bridge deck over the next two years is vital to extending the life of the bridge and ensuring this economic backbone of the state is in good working condition for decades to come,” WSDOT stated.
The agency’s goal is to complete the work on I-5 north by the end of 2026. The final year of the project, in 2027, will focus on I-5 south.
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