Tom Pearce, communications, 206-440-4696

Three northbound lanes between MLK Jr. Way and Olive Way to close

SEATTLE – If the weather cooperates, the final weekend of lane closures on northbound Interstate 5 in Seattle in 2018 is set for Oct. 13-14. The weather-dependent work means people traveling on northbound I-5 south of downtown will need to plan ahead and prepare for delays.

Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will close three of the five lanes on the right side of northbound I-5, starting near the Martin Luther Jr. Way interchange. The lanes will begin closing at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, and will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 15.

Pick your lane early
To do the northbound I-5 work, contractor crews from Atkinson Construction need to separate the two open lanes of traffic south of the collector/distributor lanes connecting to the interstate.

• The right lane is for travelers exiting into the downtown Seattle area. Drivers also will be able to remain on northbound I-5 and go north of downtown.
• The left lane is recommended for people traveling north of downtown Seattle. This will take them onto the express lanes, with no downtown exits. The first exit is north of Lake Union at the University District. Other exits are at Lake City Way and Northgate.

Several ramps to close:
During the lane closures, crews will replace pavement and expansion joints between the Swift-Albro on- and off-ramps and Olive Way. Several northbound I-5 ramps will close to allow the work, in particular the off-ramp for the West Seattle Bridge/Spokane Street/Columbian Way. The Columbian Way on-ramp to northbound I-5 also will be closed, but the on-ramp from the West Seattle Bridge to northbound I-5 will remain open.

Other ramp closures include:

• Michigan Street on- and off-ramps
• Cherry Street on-ramp
• Olive Way off-ramp
• Seneca Street off-ramp
• University Street on-ramp

This will complete the weekend-long work on the $50.6 million project. Nighttime work will continue into late 2019.

Other weekend work planned
In addition to work on northbound I-5, several other closures are scheduled:

• Southbound State Route 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, to complete paving work needed in advance of next year’s open of the SR 99 tunnel.
• Alaskan Way along the Seattle waterfront will close from 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, to 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 14, to shift to a four-lane alignment. People will still have access to Washington State Ferries’ Colman Dock.

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.
• Traveling before 8 a.m., when traffic volume picks up, or after 8 p.m., when it decreases.

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.