Revive I-5 returns: Northbound I-5 closes this weekend near Ship Canal Bridge

After pausing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Revive I-5 is back with a full shutdown on northbound I-5 starting Friday.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is set to continue its major multi-year highway preservation project across the Ship Canal Bridge.

Northbound I-5 to close this weekend

Starting at 11:59 p.m. Friday, June 10, northbound I-5 will close near I-90 until 5 a.m. Monday, July 13. Freeway on-ramps will begin closing at 9 p.m. Friday.

“During this closure, the express lanes will be northbound-only 24 hours a day,” WSDOT stated.

When the freeway reopens on Monday, July 13, the Ship Canal Bridge will be reduced to two lanes, while the express lanes will be northbound-only 24 hours a day until the end of 2026.

The Dearborn Street, Cherry Street, and University Street on-ramps will close at 9 p.m., while the westbound I-90, Olive Way, and Mercer Street on-ramps will close at 10 p.m. The Eastbound I-90, Westbound SR 520, and Harvard Avenue East on-ramps will close at 11 p.m.

Additionally, the heavily used on-ramp from Roanoke Street/Harvard Avenue to northbound I-5 will be closed through mid-October.

All mainline northbound I-5 off-ramps, including Seneca Street, Olive Way, Mercer Street, Lakeview Boulevard, Eastbound SR 520 and N.E. 45th Street/N.E. 50th Street, will be closed from 11:59 p.m. Friday, July 10, to 5 a.m. Monday, July 13.

“People are going to have to plan ahead. People are going to have to allow extra time, and we’re going to want to think about alternative routes and alternative methods like transit,” WSDOT Spokesperson Tom Pearce told KIRO 7. “We saw longer travel times when we first started work. The travel times, they also came down. It still took a little extra time, but people adapted.”

Weekend-long full closures for work zone setup or removal are weather-dependent. Crews need dry weather to re-stripe lanes. That means if the weather is too rainy, crews will reschedule.

Express lanes

Express lanes will operate northbound-only 24 hours a day for all Revive I-5 lane reductions and closures in 2026. Express lanes will not run southbound as they typically do in the mornings.

When northbound I-5 is reduced from four lanes to two, as it is during this phase of construction, even a single collision or disabled vehicle can significantly disrupt traffic. Keeping express lanes operating northbound helps reduce the risk of a full northbound shutdown and gives traffic operators greater flexibility to respond to incidents. Expect delays, especially during the morning hours.

All drivers will be able to use the express lanes. However, some ramps are HOV-only. Express lanes have a height restriction of 14 feet, 7 inches.

Express lanes return to mainline I-5 at Northgate. Express lanes do not provide access to SR 520.

Northbound express lane entrances from downtown Seattle will be Howell Street/Eastlake Avenue, Mercer Street, Fifth Avenue/Columbia-Cherry Streets (HOV-only), Ninth Avenue/Pike-Pine Street (HOV-only).

The first exit on the northbound running express lanes is N.E. 42nd Street in the University District. Northbound express lane exits include N.E. 42nd Street, Lake City Way N.E., Northgate Way/ N.E. 103rd Street.

Revive I-5 will continue in the southbound I-5 lanes across the Ship Canal Bridge in 2027 with a combination of full closures and lane reductions. Details will be shared as they become available.

Contributing: Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest; KIRO 7

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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