Revive I-5 returns: Multiple southbound Ship Canal Bridge lanes to close for six weekends

You survived the “Month of Hell” when northbound I-5 was reduced to two lanes over the summer, but Revive I-5 is back for another six weekends of work.

Workers replaced five expansion joints and installed 94 new drains during that month-long project earlier this year. They also resurfaced about 900 feet of the bridge deck.

Contractors are back this weekend for the first of six weekend projects in the southbound direction of I-5 across the Ship Canal Bridge. Tom Pearce, communications specialist for the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT), said the focus will remain on the drainage system.

“We need weekend-long closures to do this work, because we have to get in there and saw cut out the old drain,” Pearce said. “We’ve got to put in the new, and we’ve got to pour the concrete. We need a couple of lanes just so we have a good, safe work zone for the workers.”

The lane reductions will begin in Seattle’s University District and extend south to the SR 520 interchange.

Those lane reductions will usually start about 10 p.m. on Friday nights, but there is a Husky game in Montlake this Friday. Pearce said the work won’t start until after the game.

“Our contractor is going to start work a little bit later on Friday night, an hour or maybe two later than they normally would on a Friday night, just to allow the traffic to clear Husky Stadium,” he said.

Traffic to and from the Seattle Mariners’ playoff game shouldn’t be impacted. The two lanes will remain closed through early Monday morning.

There are three weekend construction projects this month

Various projects are scheduled to take place in November, December, and January. There are no Hawks or Husky games on those weekends.

This work will also impact the I-5 express lanes.

“We’re also going to have the express lanes open southbound, 24 hours a day during this work,” Pearce said. “That’s going to provide a good alternative for people who are headed south of downtown.”

Those express lanes will not be available northbound for the duration of work.

The contractor who did the work in July and August is back for this series of closures, which should make things more efficient for these closures.

“Anytime you do road work, you’re going to learn things that you can apply to future work,” Pearce said. “Our contractor did pick up some things that are going to help them work more efficiently as they replace the drains.”

And for future planning, what we experienced this year and will experience with these southbound I-5 closures is just the tip of the iceberg.

Northbound I-5 across the Ship Canal Bridge will be reduced to just two lanes for two four-month projects next year, only taking a break for the World Cup in June.

In 2027, southbound I-5 across the bridge will be reduced to two lanes for eight months straight.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.

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