Weekend traffic guide: Viaduct, Hwy 99 to close for repairs

Expect long backups from Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood to Fremont this weekend while the Alaskan Way Viaduct and much of Highway 99 is closed.

Viaduct closures

-Both directions of SR 99 between the north end of the Battery Street Tunnel and the West Seattle Bridge will close at 6 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6.
-SR 99 will reopen by 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7, two hours before the start of the Sounders FC match with Portland at CenturyLink Field.

“This critical work on the viaduct and the Aurora Bridge requires major closures, but more than 60,000 fans need to get to the match and back home,” said WSDOT Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program Deputy Administrator Matt Preedy. “We scheduled the work so crews would not disrupt traffic before and after the game.”

Crews are closing the viaduct for a semiannual inspection and routine maintenance. Tunnel crews will take the opportunity to continue wrapping the viaduct between South Washington and Columbia streets in preparation for boring machine.

The Aurora Bridge will also get three new expansion joints.

Aurora Bridge lane closures

-Southbound SR 99 will be reduced to one lane across the bridge between 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7.
-At 2 p.m. Sunday, crews will open a second southbound bridge lane.
-At 3 p.m. Sunday, all southbound bridge lanes will be open to accommodate fans heading to the Sounders FC match.
-At 7 p.m. Sunday, southbound SR 99 will again be reduced to one lane across the bridge. All southbound lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, Oct.8.

-Northbound SR 99 will be reduced to one lane across the bridge between 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, and 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7.
-At 7 p.m. Sunday, crews will open all northbound bridge lanes to accommodate traffic leaving the Sounders FC match.
-At 10 p.m. Sunday, northbound SR 99 will again be reduced to one lane across the bridge. All northbound lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 8.

>>>More information from WSDOT