It’s back! Revive I-5 in Seattle returns this weekend
Jan 9, 2026, 5:29 PM
The Ship Canal Bridge. (Photo: @SounderBruce via Flickr Creative Commons)
(Photo: @SounderBruce via Flickr Creative Commons)
During the summer of 2025, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) started preservation work on Seattle’s Ship Canal Bridge, a vital chapter in the state’s massive Revive I-5 project.
During the summer and fall of 2025, drivers got a taste of what is once again getting underway beginning Friday, Jan. 9, at midnight. That is when all northbound lanes of I-5 will close between I-90 and Northeast 45th Street in the University District for the weekend. This will allow contractors to set up a work zone in the two left lanes of the Ship Canal Bridge, reducing the structure to two lanes until June.
During this time, the express lanes will be northbound-only 24 hours a day. This means southbound I-5 drivers will be without access to the express lanes for the next 5 months. When WSDOT had a similar closure with the express lanes in the fall of 2025, it was common to see 10-mile back-ups during peak drive times.
During the northbound I-5 weekend-long full closure:
- People traveling on northbound I-5 going to downtown Seattle will have the option to take the Edgar Martinez Drive exit as well as the Dearborn, James, or Madison street exits.
- People traveling on northbound I-5 going north of downtown Seattle can stay in the freeway’s left lane to use the express lanes, or they can take eastbound I-90 to northbound I-405. There are no exits from the express lanes to downtown.
- Traffic will shift throughout the work zone, so drivers should obey speed limits and be aware that there may be new configurations throughout the work zone from north of Mercer Street to just past the northbound I-5 off-ramps to Northeast 45th Street/Northeast 50th Street.
Ramp closures start at 9 p.m. Jan. 9
All northbound I-5 on- and off-ramps from I-90 to Northeast 45th Street will close leading up to the work on Friday, Jan. 9, and reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 12.
These include:
9 p.m.
- Dearborn Street
- Cherry Street
- University Street
10 p.m.
- Westbound I-90
- Olive Way
- Mercer Street
11 p.m.
- Eastbound I-90
- Harvard Avenue East
- Westbound State Route 520
In addition, the westbound SR 520 off-ramp to Roanoke Street will be closed from as early as 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9, to 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 12.
All mainline northbound I-5 off-ramps will be closed from 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 9, to 5 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 12:
- Seneca Street
- Olive Way
- Mercer Street
- Lakeview Boulevard
- Eastbound SR 520
- Northeast 45th Street/Northeast 50th Street
During the northbound I-5 weekend-long full closure
People traveling on northbound I-5 going to downtown Seattle will have the option to take the Edgar Martinez Drive or the Dearborn, James, or Madison street exits.
People going north of downtown can stay left to use the express lanes, or they can take eastbound I-90 to northbound I-405.
There are no northbound express lane exits to downtown Seattle. The first northbound exit is Northeast 42nd Street in the University District.
Northbound I-5 express lane exits:
- Northeast 42nd Street
- Lake City Way Northeast
- 1st Avenue Northeast/Northeast 103rd Street
Express lanes return to the mainline I-5 at Northgate. There is no access to SR 520 from the express lanes.
Northbound I-5 reduced to two lanes Jan. 12 until June
Immediately following the weekend-long closure, the two left lanes of northbound I-5 across the Ship Canal Bridge will remain closed until June 5. Another weekend-long closure will take place June 5-8 for crews to reopen all lanes of the northbound freeway.
During the months-long closure, crews will repair and resurface the upper bridge deck, replace aging expansion joints, improve drainage, and address other maintenance issues.
Nate Connors is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Follow him on X. Read more of his stories here. Submit news tips here.
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