Date:
Friday, August 17, 2007
Contact:
WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4788 (Seattle)
WSDOT Public Hotline, 206-440-4704 (Seattle)
Weekend Events Could Add to Congestion
Drivers traveling into and through downtown Seattle this weekend need to know three things:
- The West Seattle bridge/Spokane St. on-ramp to northbound Interstate 5 will close tonight at 10 p.m. and not reopen until Monday morning at 5 a.m.
- Only two lanes of northbound I-5 will be open for the duration of the project.
- WSDOT will add new and change existing signs in the work zone to make clear drivers may use both lanes to go north on I-5.
Sign changes
After midnight, crews will change the overhead sign that marks exit 164A. Currently, the sign reads “I-90 EAST SPOKANE.” Crews will cover the words ‘east’ and ‘Spokane’ and add an I-5 shield (see attached illustration). Additionally, they’ll add a sign on the right that reads ‘I-5 NORTH’ and has arrows for both lanes. This sign will be at eye level on the right side of the freeway. Crews hope this will reduce dangerous lane changes made by drivers who think they are being forced to exit the highway.
Construction
Crews are working on the west side of the freeway between Spokane Street and I-90. As of 7 p.m. on Friday, crews are 15 percent finished with expansion joints 1 through 15, 25 percent finished with joints 16 through 25, and 50 percent finished with joints 24 through 34.
Crews finished paving for the day at 6:40 p.m. and will resume paving at 6 a.m. Saturday. There are 60 people working in the field. The rain threat stands at level three out of 10, so the blow dryer is not on site.
Traffic
Today we saw some of the worst backups so far in this project. At 3 p.m., backups stretched three miles. It took drivers nearly an hour to make it through the work zone and traffic rarely nudged above 4 mph. By 6:45 p.m., traffic was up to 8 mph and it took about 20 minutes to get through the work zone.
Weekend events
We want to remind drivers of several events this weekend. On Saturday, the Mariners play at 7:05 p.m., there is a concert at Key Arena at 8 p.m. and Hempfest goes all weekend at Myrtle Edwards State Park. On Sunday, the Mariners play at 1:05 p.m. and the Danskin Triathalon has the I-90 express lanes closed until 11 a.m.
Drivers can plan their route at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/SpokaneStreetBridgeRepair/AlternateRoutes.htm.
City streets through the construction zone have proven to be excellent alternate routes for drivers, transit and freight haulers. City of Seattle traffic engineers report that traffic continues to flow smoothly on Airport Way, East Marginal Way, and 1st and 4th Avenues, especially in the afternoon.
"We want to remind drivers that the city of Seattle has retimed 90 signals on north-south streets to help drivers get around the I-5 construction," said Regional Administrator Lorena Eng. "Using city streets and highway alternate routes will reduce congestion on I-5 and help you reach your destination much sooner."
For project details, resources available to get drivers through these closures, and suggestions for alternate routes, please visit the project Web site at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/SpokaneStreetBridgeRepair/
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