50 MPH speed limit signs installed on I‑5 Ship Canal Bridge as photo enforcement nears
Jan 30, 2026, 2:28 PM
The view from the Harvard on-ramp to I-5 North of the new 50 MPH speed sign for the work zone on the Ship Canal Bridge. (Photo: Chris Sullivan, KIRO Newsradio)
(Photo: Chris Sullivan, KIRO Newsradio)
Drivers heading northbound on I‑5 across the Ship Canal Bridge will notice a key change in the construction zone: the 50‑mile‑per‑hour speed limit sign is finally in place.
KIRO Newsradio traffic reporter Chris Sullivan was on the road Friday, entering the northbound lanes from the Harvard on‑ramp and directly into the work zone, where he spotted the update.
“What’s interesting, they have finally added the 50-mile-an-hour speed limit sign here to what was the speed work zone camera photo enforcement sign. Up until today, they had not had a 50 there,” Sullivan said. “So it looks like enforcement is about to begin as people realize that it’s 50 miles an hour here.”
According to Sullivan, the camera setup is positioned at the end of the construction zone — now legally enforceable because both the speed limit sign and the “photo enforcement ahead” sign are posted.
As he continued through the work area, Sullivan noted he was traveling about 35 mph.
“Which is about all you can do here,” he said, adding that weather and roadway conditions weren’t favorable.
“No one should be going over 50, but it looks like maybe in the overnight hours or when traffic is lighter, they’re going to try to be hitting some people with some photo enforcement through this work zone,” he added.
Photo speed enforcement is about to go active NB 5 across Ship Canal Bridge. @wsdot needed to add speed limit sign at Harvard on ramp. It went up today. This is the mobile, trailer-mounted speed camera used in work zones. pic.twitter.com/bsOLjP8f9v
— Chris Sullivan (@NEWSGUYSULLY) January 30, 2026
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Camera equipment spotted near University District off-ramp
Approaching the 45th Street off‑ramp into the University District, Sullivan pointed out where the equipment is staged.
“You will see, potentially, the photo enforcement camera. It’s been hanging out inside the work zone there, off on the left,” he said. “And I think that’s kind of where it is going to be once the signs get pulled down here or the shades get uncovered.”
Moments later, he spotted it.
“Yep, there’s the photo enforcement sign over there on your left. And there’s the equipment. They haven’t yet set it out, but it looks like they’re about to,” he said.
The new signage signals that photo enforcement on this stretch of I‑5 is likely to begin soon — possibly during off‑peak hours — so drivers should be mindful of the updated 50 mph limit as construction continues.
Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.
