I-5 South in Seattle reopens after emergency expansion joint repairs
Jun 27, 2023, 1:03 PM
WSDOT announced the two right southbound lanes of I-5 were closed for emergency repairs on an expansion joint.(Photo from WSDOT)
(Photo from WSDOT)
After more than three hours of emergency repairs on Interstate 5 in Seattle, the five-mile backup that amassed began to clear Tuesday.
The Washington State Dept. of Transportation (WSDOT) announced early Tuesday morning that the two right lanes of I-5 South were closed for emergency repairs on an expansion joint.
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“There have been segments of work done on this expansion joint in the past, and now we are working on completely replacing it,” WSDOT said in a tweet during the lane closures.
The traffic was backed up for around five miles starting at South Spokane Street, just south of the West Seattle Bridge.
👷♂️Maintenance | SB I-5 in #Seattle
🚧Crews have the two right lanes blocked on southbound I-5 just south of S Spokane Street for some expansion joint repairs. pic.twitter.com/URDEi0OfJw
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) June 27, 2023
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The emergency repairs happened just south of 2022’s expansion joints repairs as a part of WSDOT’s Revive I-5 project, which is part of a larger effort to update the 1960s-era highway.
The repairs finished at 11:19 a.m., and the lanes were reopened. It will take time for backups to clear, WSDOT said.
