Memorial Day Weekend traffic: What to know for the road
May 25, 2017, 5:54 PM | Updated: 9:44 pm
The Emerald City Bike Ride in 2016 when cyclists crossed the then new 520 Bridge. (MyNorthwest)
(MyNorthwest)
Memorial Day weekend drivers can rest assured that no road work is planned for the three-day holiday. But various events are expected to draw huge crowds, which means congestion and no parking.
“WSDOT suspends most scheduled construction on holiday weekends – there’s always a chance of an emergency repair or some project that has to happen due to other timing concerns,” said Harmony Weinberg from the Washington State Department of Transportation.
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What travelers should consider is that wait times for ferries and at the Canadian border are expected to lengthen dramatically. Plan ahead for such delays.
Memorial Day weekend events
Northwest Folklife Festival — Friday – Sunday
The annual Northwest Folklife Festival packs the Seattle Center with live performances and audiences all weekend. You can count on heavy crowds and traffic in the center of the city. Performances start each day at 11 a.m. and concerts continue until long after dark (final shows begin around 9:30 p.m.).
Emerald City Bike Ride – Sunday, 6 a.m. to noon
The Emerald City Bike Ride is among the largest cycling events of the year with 7,000 people expected to pedal around Lake Washington. The route will block major roadways between 6 a.m. and noon on Sunday. Most roads will be local-access only for residents, or for drivers heading the opposite direction than the cyclists.
• 520 Bridge will be closed
• I-90 Express Lanes will be closed
• I-5 Express Lanes will be closed
Check the route map for a detailed list of affected roads.
Sounders game – Sunday, noon
The Seattle Sounders will take on the Portland Timbers at CenturyLink Field. The Northwest’s sibling city rivalry always attracts plenty of soccer fans into town. You can expect the light rail lines and the roads to be jam packed for this game.
Ski to Sea – Sunday
North of Seattle, the annual Ski to Sea event will occupy various routes between Mount Baker and Bellingham Bay as relay teams work their way down the mountain. The route will include Highway 542.
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KIRO Radio Traffic Reporter Candy Harper contributed to this story.
