Headed across Lake Washington this weekend? Good luck
Dec 10, 2015, 12:07 AM | Updated: May 8, 2016, 12:08 am
It’s another double whammy for lake bridge drivers this weekend.
It’s directional closure No. 10 of 30 on I-90 this weekend, and the Washington State Department of Transportation is once again adding a 520 bridge closure to the mix.
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Eastbound I-90 will be closed from 11 p.m. Friday until Monday morning. Drivers will be squeezed into the express lanes to get across Lake Washington. On Sunday, westbound 520 will be closed from 6 a.m. until Monday morning.
This is the same type of double closure as we saw last week, just in reverse directions.
WSDOT’s Steve Peer says the closures caught drivers off guard last weekend. He’s hoping for a better response this time.
“We had some folks say hey I wasn’t really sure [about the closures],” he said. People ending up driving up the ramp to find it was closed.
WSDOT’s Annie Johnson says drivers can expect backups on I-5 for both northbound and southbound lanes approaching I-90. That’s because there isn’t a lot of real estate between I-5 and where the express lanes peel off.
Thanks to the closures, Sunday could be interesting because of the 2015 Jingle Bell Run/Walk in downtown Seattle. Johnson says the express lanes will have a delayed opening – around 10:30 a.m.
Johnson says they know these closures are a pain, but they are necessary.
“These closures are an inconvenience for everyone,” she said. “But we need to make sure we’re getting the work done and we’re getting it done safely.”
A reminder on what’s happening during these closures:
• On I-90, workers are replacing lights, fans and upgrading the life-safety systems in the tunnels. This is all part of the plan to turn the express lanes into the tracks for light rail across the lake.
• On 520, contractors need to finish demolition work on the 24th Avenue overpass near Montlake. It is being turned into an off-ramp from westbound 520 to Lake Washington Boulevard.
