information from WSDOT

Weekend travelers in the Seattle region should prepare for extra congestion starting the evening of Friday, Oct. 12 through early Monday, Oct. 15, as several area construction projects will include road or lane closures.

 All of southbound State Route 99 will be closed throughout the weekend, as will several lanes on northbound I-5. In addition, Alaskan Way along the waterfront will close overnight Saturday, Oct. 13, for a traffic shift into a new alignment. 

 SR 99 southbound 

Southbound SR 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct will close from 9 p.m. Friday, Oct 12, to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 15, from the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel to Spokane Street. The closure allows crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation to complete paving work near Atlantic Street, which is critical work in advance of next year’s opening of the SR 99 tunnel.

 Alaskan Way along the waterfront

Alaskan Way along Seattle’s waterfront will close from 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, to 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct 14, between Railroad Way South and Wall Street. Contractor crews working for WSDOT will finish striping a new four-lane alignment along the waterfront, The traffic switch is an important step towards viaduct demolition, which starts after the new tunnel opens in early 2019. The work will not restrict access to Washington State Ferries’ Colman Dock.

Interstate 5 northbound

Northbound I-5 will be reduced to two lanes in Seattle from Martin Luther King Jr. Way to Olive Way beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12. All lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 15. Crews are replacing pavement and expansion joints. Several ramps will close as well.

Know before you go

Weekend travelers should plan ahead and expect delays. To limit congestion, consider:

• Using transit, particularly light rail. 
• Postponing discretionary trips. Fewer trips means fewer cars and less backup.
• Before hitting the road, get real-time traffic information about Revive I-5 on mobile devices with the WSDOT traffic app and by tracking #ReviveI5 on the WSDOT Traffic Twitter feed.

Looking ahead

The Alaskan Way Viaduct will permanently close Jan. 11, 2109, for three weeks of work to #realign99 into the new SR 99 tunnel. WSDOT encourages everyone to plan ahead for this closure, which will be the longest highway closure ever in the Seattle area.