Mercer Street gets even messier on Friday
Nov 7, 2014, 10:43 AM | Updated: 12:41 pm
It took drivers nearly an hour to get from the Mercer Street exit to Queen Anne Hill Friday morning.
Initially, KIRO Radio reported westbound lanes were reduced to just one because crews were cleaning up after an overnight construction project, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.
That information was incorrect.
“Correction to earlier tweet. Mercer lane closure is a planned concrete pour. Work critical to opening 3rd eastbound lane in late Nov.”
In fact, SDOT closed westbound lanes between Dexter Avenue North and Fifth Avenue North from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday to accommodate concrete pours. The closure was scheduled for “off-peak hours,” according to SDOT.
In addition to the westbound closures Friday, northbound Fifth Avenue North is reduced to a single lane between Mercer and Roy streets.
And Friday night, all lanes of Mercer Street are closed between Ninth Avenue N and Dexter Avenue N from 11 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Saturday.
SDOT said work done on Friday and overnight is a “critical step towards adding an additional eastbound lane on Mercer Street, anticipated to open later in November.”
Additional weekend traffic:
Both directions of the Battery Street Tunnel will be closed Saturday 9 p.m. to Sunday 8 a.m. to test the fire suppression system.
The Seahawks (1:25 p.m. kickoff) and Huskies (4 p.m. kickoff) have home games and Oprah is at KeyArena all weekend.
