There's another busy summer weekend coming up and in addition to the Ballard SeafoodFest, motorist should be aware of the following traffic-congesting events:
STP:
Drivers should leave themselves extra time July 9 and 10 as 10,000 cyclists use Washington’s state and local roads for the 2011 Group Health Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic (STP).
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) asks local drivers to share the road and prepare for traffic delays and reminds bicyclists of their responsibility to follow Washington’s rules of the road.
The biggest traffic impacts are typically:
· Early morning Saturday, July 9, on SR 7 in Pierce County.
· Midmorning to afternoon on SR 507 in Thurston and Lewis counties.
· Early Sunday, July 10, on SR 411 from Castle Rock to Kelso.
· All day Sunday near the SR 432 Lewis and Clark Bridge.
Drivers can expect nearly 20-minute delays from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday as Washington State Patrol and traffic-control flaggers stop southbound drivers so riders can cross the Lewis and Clark Bridge, escorted by Gold Wing motorcycle club members. Riders crossing the bridge on Saturday will not have a bridge escort and are expected to ride with traffic.
Also on Sunday, those traveling northbound on Interstate 5 though Olympia into Pierce County – including STP riders returning from the ride – can expect delays as up to three northbound lanes just south of Lakewood close Friday through Monday from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. WSDOT crews will be making needed repairs to the I-5 Clover Creek bridge decks, which will result in a smoother ride for drivers once work is complete.
SR 520 to close from Montlake Boulevard to I-405; I-5 ramps to close at Mercer Street
Expect region-wide congestion this weekend, July 8 through 11, as workers close State Route 520 between Montlake Boulevard in Seattle and Interstate 405 in Bellevue. Crews plan to install a fish-passable culvert beneath all lanes of the highway and conduct annual maintenance of the floating bridge. Also, the city of Seattle will close the Interstate 5 ramps to and from Mercer Street.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) encourages drivers to plan ahead when considering weekend travel. Take alternate routes, leave early, consider carpooling, take the bus or keep activities close to home. The longest delays are expected midday Saturday and Sunday on I-5 and I-90 heading into Seattle, and on I-405 approaching I-90. The express lane schedules will change this weekend on I-5 and I-90 to help improve traffic flow.
“We got help from drivers during last month’s closure, and we need their help again,” said Brian Dobbins, WSDOT construction engineer for the SR 520 Eastside Transit and HOV Project. “This is the second of up to six weekend-long closures on SR 520 between now and the end of the year. We can get a lot of work done in a weekend closure, like building huge fish-friendly culverts that span the entire highway.”
Crews plan to dig a trench across all lanes near 84th Avenue Northeast in Hunts Point for culvert installation. The culvert measures about 230 feet long and 12 feet wide. Environmental regulations allow WSDOT to work in or near streams only until mid-September to avoid harming migrating fish.
In addition to construction, WSDOT crews will inspect, test and weld parts of the floating bridge and drawspan all weekend to make needed repairs and ready the bridge for the next storm season, said Archie Allen, WSDOT bridge maintenance superintendent.
Special equipment will be used to scan for cracks in the bridge’s huge steel guide rollers. Based on the results of inspections, crews will have a few months to make any additional necessary repairs to bridge components before rough weather returns, Allen said.
Closure details:
SR 520
· All on-ramps to SR 520 between Montlake Boulevard in Seattle and I-405 in Bellevue will close at 11 p.m. Friday, July 8. All SR 520 ramps in the construction zone will remain closed during the weekend, except for the 108th Avenue Northeast on-ramp to eastbound SR 520.
· The SR 520 mainline – all lanes in both directions between Montlake Boulevard in Seattle and I-405 in Bellevue – will close from 11 p.m. Friday, July 8, to 5 a.m. Monday, July 11.
· Details of the closure and detour maps are online. Night work is planned, and neighbors near the work zone are likely to hear construction noise.
· SR 520 from I-5 to Montlake Boulevard will remain open to traffic.
Mercer Street ramps
· The city of Seattle is closing the I-5 on- and off-ramps at Mercer Street at 11 p.m. Friday, July 8, and reopening them at 5 a.m. Monday, July 11. Project information is on the Seattle website.
Special I-90 and I-5 express lane operations
Saturday, July 9
· The I-90 express lanes will be open westbound from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 9, and eastbound after 2 p.m.
· The I-5 express lanes will be open southbound from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 9, and then switch to northbound from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Sunday, July 10
· The I-90 express lanes will be open westbound from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, July 10, and eastbound after 2 p.m.
· The I-5 express lanes will be open southbound from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and northbound from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
· The typical express lane schedule is posted here, and this weekend’s altered schedule is posted here. Key alternate routes for drivers heading into Seattle from the south end include SR 509, SR 599, East Marginal Way South, Airport Way South and Fourth Avenue South.
