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Travelers across the greater Puget Sound region should prepare for a second straight weekend of heavy congestion and longer travel times as another round of major construction closures takes place Friday, May 15, through Monday, May 18.
Crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation are using a shorter spring construction window to make progress on key highway and bridge projects before the planned pause starting in June for Seattle’s summer of soccer.
What travelers should expect
- Miles-long backups on southbound I-405 in Kirkland and heavier congestion throughout the I-405 corridor.
- Constrained travel in Seattle, where two northbound lanes of I-5 remain closed across the Ship Canal Bridge.
- Backups, congestion and increased travel times on westbound I-90 at the I-90/SR 18 interchange and near the Snoqualmie/North Bend, Preston/Fall City and High Point Way exits.
“This is one of those weekends where multiple major projects are happening at the same time across the region,” WSDOT Northwest Region Administrator Brian Nielsen said. “We know the delays will be frustrating, but doing this work now allows us to make critical progress before this summer’s unique pause on major construction.”
May 15-18 weekend closures
From May 15-18, WSDOT contractor crews will work on I-5, I-405, SR 99 and the I-90/SR 18 interchange, reducing roadway capacity and leading to longer, less predictable travel times across the Eastside and Seattle.
Southbound I-405 closure in Kirkland
- Southbound I-405 in Kirkland will be closed from Northeast 124th Street to Northeast 70th Place starting at 11 p.m. Friday, May 15.
- The start of the southbound I-405 closure will move south to Northeast 85th Street at 6 a.m. Saturday, May 16. A signed detour will be in place.
- All southbound lanes of I-405 will reopen by 4 a.m. Monday, May 18. These closures are necessary for fish passage restoration work as part of the I-405/Northeast 85th Street Interchange and Inline BRT Station Project.
SR 99 full weekend closure in Seattle
- All lanes of northbound SR 99 across the First Avenue South Bridge in Seattle will close from 9 p.m. Friday, May 15, to 5 a.m. Monday, May 18, as crews continue Phase 2 of the three-part repair strategy on the bridge.
- Signed detours will guide northbound SR 509/SR 99 traffic around the bridge closure.
Double westbound I-90 ramp closures near SR 18
- The off-ramp from westbound I-90 to westbound SR 18/Snoqualmie Parkway and the westbound I-90 on-ramp from eastbound SR 18 and Snoqualmie Parkway will close for paving from 9 p.m. Friday, May 15, to 5 a.m. Monday, May 18.
- These closures are part of the I-90/SR 18 Interchange Improvements.
- Signed detours will be in place for each of these ramp closures.
- Travelers in the area should expect significant congestion and delays near the I-90/SR 18 interchange and the Preston/Fall City, Snoqualmie/North Bend and High Point Way exits.
I-5 closures in Seattle
- Two left lanes of northbound I-5 across the Ship Canal Bridge remain closed 24/7 as crews continue working on the Revive I-5 project.
- All lanes will reopen Monday, June 8, in advance of the Seattle summer of soccer.
- From 11 p.m. Friday, May 15, until 7 a.m. Saturday, May 16, the eastbound Mercer Street to southbound I-5 on-ramp and the northbound I-5 to Mercer Street off-ramp will be closed for maintenance of the Mercer Street tunnel.
Plan ahead
When several major corridors are limited simultaneously, congestion can extend well beyond the construction areas as drivers shift to alternate routes. Travelers may encounter congestion in areas they typically do not associate with freeway construction, including local roads and parallel routes.
Transit, park-and-ride options, flexible schedules and tracking real-time travel information can make a meaningful difference during closures…