MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Seattle drivers prepare for full I-5 closure Wednesday night

Mar 20, 2024, 2:32 PM | Updated: Mar 27, 2024, 3:50 pm

Seneca overpass body...

I-5 near Seneca Street in Seattle. (Photo: Chris Sullivan, KIRO Newsradio)

(Photo: Chris Sullivan, KIRO Newsradio)

Northbound I-5 Closure

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will have crews working near Olive Way, installing a sign bridge and an electronic sign overnight. This is part of the Improve Mobility Project designed to improve traffic flow by adding a lane near Seneca Street and adding ramp meters at the Dearborn/Interstate 90 (I-90) and Cherry Street on-ramps.

More from Nate Connors: A bevy of traffic situations you need to be aware of this weekend

For the safety of contractors and drivers, all northbound lanes of Interstate 5 (I-5) will close at midnight and reopen by 4 a.m. Thursday. The closure is between I-90 and Olive Way, with lane reductions starting at 9 p.m. The northbound collector-distributor lanes will also be closed during these hours.

Drivers needing to access downtown Seattle should exit at Edgar Martinez Drive or take the exit to I-90 East and exit at Rainier Avenue.

The express lanes will remain open to allow drivers to continue north of downtown Seattle. WSDOT has plans to repeat this closure on Monday, March 25.

SR 520 East Ramp Closure

Drivers who use State Route (SR) 520 to access Redmond won’t be able to take the 148th Street Northeast ramp Wednesday evening. WSDOT will be upgrading drainage in Overlake and will need to close access to northbound 148th Street Northeast.

The closure begins at 9 p.m. through 5 a.m. Thursday. A detour will be in place.

More traffic: Lane sweeping is all too common and needs to stop

Later this spring, intermittent closures are planned at the interchange for landscaping.

You can read more of Nate Connors’ stories here. Follow Nate on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and the KIRO Newsradio traffic team here for more traffic updates.

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Seattle drivers prepare for full I-5 closure Wednesday night