A major stretch of State Route 99 in Seattle will be closed this weekend to allow crews to inspect and reinforce the Alaskan Way Viaduct and upgrade expansion joints on the Aurora Bridge.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) coordinated closure schedules to keep traffic moving before and after Sunday’s 6 p.m. Sounders game at Century Link 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.”

Alaskan Way 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.

During the closure crews will conduct the viaduct’s semiannual inspection and do routine maintenance. WSDOT will release preliminary inspection results on Monday, Oct. 22.

SR 99 tunnel crews will also use the closure to continue placing reinforcing fiber wrap on the viaduct between South Washington and Columbia streets. The fiber wrap will protect the viaduct when the world’s largest diameter tunnel boring machine passes beneath the structure in late 2013.