WSDOT warns of big I-5 closures in Seattle, plus more construction on other highways
SEATTLE - The Washington State Department of Transportation is warning drivers of yet another big weekend for highway closures.
Here's what to expect on I-5 in Seattle:
- From 11 p.m. Friday, July 28 to 6 a.m. Saturday, July 29, SOUTHBOUND I-5 will be closed between the Stewart St off-ramp (Exit 166) and the Spring St on-ramp. The Mercer St & Yale Ave/Howell St on-ramps, & off-ramps to Union & James St (Exits 165 A&B) will also be closed. The Stewart St off-ramp and Spring & James St & Edgar Martinez Drive/I-90 on-ramps will be open.
- From 11:59 p.m. Saturday, July 29 to 5 a.m. Sunday, July 30 NORTHBOUND I-5 will be closed between I-90 & Olive Way. Northbound traffic will take either the express lanes (no downtown exits) or use I-90 to Rainier/Boren Ave. The I-90 off-ramps to northbound I-5 (Exits 2B & 2C), the Dearborn, Cherry & University Street on-ramps, & the off-ramps to Dearborn, James, Madison, Seneca & Mercer Streets as well as Olive Way (Exits 164A, 165-167) will all also close. The Olive Way & Mercer Street on-ramps will be open.
- The I-5 express lanes will be open overnight southbound Friday and northbound Saturday.
- The SR 99 tunnel will also be open both nights, however, it is a tolled route.
- There is no major construction scheduled for I-405 for those who want to go around it all.
Signed detours will be in place. During the southbound closure, our tunnel maintenance crews will test fire suppression systems under the Seattle Convention Center.
During the northbound closure, I-5 Seneca to SR 520 Mobility Improvements project crews will work on the final stages of creating a third-through lane for the northbound mainline lanes.
WSDOT says daytime travel is fine but nighttime travel will create backups and delays.
Other traffic alerts:
SEAFAIR: The Seafair Torchlight Parade, while now earlier in the day (3 p.m. Saturday) compared to past years, draws tens of thousands of folks into downtown Seattle. Consider mass transit options and travelling during non-peak hours.
KENT/SR 167: After having last week off, lane closures on southbound SR 167 are back in Kent for construction. If you’re travelling from Renton toward Auburn/Puyallup, consider taking I-5 to SR 516 or SR 18 as an alternate route to get around the work. Otherwise, plan on additional travel times due to the backup.
ARLINGTON/SR 530: There will be a full closure of SR 530, west of Arlington, starting Friday night at 9 p.m. The closure will last until Tuesday, Aug. 1 at 4 a.m. The construction zone is extended between Dyke Road and Smokey Point Blvd. There will be closure and detour signs posted. WSDOT said this closure is to install a roundabout. If you’re headed to Arlington from I-5, save yourself time and having to turn around by remembering to use SR 531/172nd St NE (Exit 206) to get to SR 9 and head in that way, or vice versa if heading out of there.