Be prepared: Denny Way closure will interrupt Seattle traffic

Starting Friday night, Seattle drivers will notice Denny Way fully closed between Stewart Street and Fairview Avenue North to reconfigure traffic lanes until Monday morning. And that is just the beginning of what will considerably affect Seattle traffic for weeks to come.

The closure is for electrical work along that stretch of road leading to the new Denny substation. Scott Thompson from Seattle City Light admits there isn’t a perfect time to do this kind of work.

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“We recognize that there’s no good time to tear apart a major arterial into downtown, but in order to do an important project like this to help us meet the growing demand of one of the nation’s fastest growing cities, it’s important work that needs to get done and it involves us cutting into this street,” he said.

Denny reopens on Monday morning, but you can expect Seattle traffic interruptions to continue in the weeks ahead. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction for the next five weeks no matter what, that includes stormy, wet weather.

“Certainly weather can impact some of the work but the crews are planning to do every bit of work they can even as the storm systems come through,” Thompson said.

Thompson strongly suggests drivers avoid Denny altogether. If you are exiting I-5, switch up your off ramp.

“Look at one of two exits earlier or later, sometimes backtracking can be faster than trying to plow ahead through that chokepoint,” he said.

Seattle City Light has been coordinating with King County Metro on where to re-route bus 8. Riders should check here to see the changes.

You can send Candy a traffic tip @KIROTraffic on Twitter.

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