Road Projects, Sports Bring Weekend Traffic Headaches To Seattle

SEATTLE – A trio of road projects and multiple sporting events will create a congested weekend on the streets around Seattle, and drivers driving in or out of the Emerald City should expect some delays, according to transportation officials.

Maintenance work on I-5 is scheduled Friday night through Monday morning and will affect southbound Interstate 5 traffic on Interstate 90 while crews repair expansion joints in the area. The express lanes will also be closed between Friday night and Monday morning as crews replace 26 concrete slabs.

The Montlake Bridge will also experience its first of five weekend closings between Friday evening and Monday morning. Further road works originally planned for this weekend near State Route 520 have been suspended for the time being, so the ramps in the area will remain open.

Traffic jams can be especially evident to those trying to get to and from Seattle’s stadiums, with the Sounders playing at Lumen Field on Saturday afternoons and the Mariners playing at T-Mobile Park on Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon.

Here is a roundup of what to expect from the Washington State Department of Transportation:

• The Montlake Bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic for the first of five scheduled weekend closures from 10pm Friday to 5am Monday. Pedestrian and cyclist access will be maintained on one side of the bridge for this first weekend, but may be restricted during subsequent closures.
• Work near the SR 520 has been postponed for this weekend, so all ramps to and from the Montlake motorway will remain open.

Sport in SODO

• The Seattle Sounders will host Minnesota United at Lumen Field on Saturday at 2 p.m.
• The Seattle Mariners will play against the Arizona Diamondbacks at T-Mobile Park Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon.

Drivers planning to use the I-5 and SR 520 are encouraged to plan in advance and allow additional time, use alternative routes where possible, and consider carpooling or public transport.

“With the collector / distributor handling all traffic through downtown, people can still get to the stadiums but will have to allow extra time to travel,” WSDOT wrote on Thursday. “After the Games, the ramps from I-90 to I-5 south will be open to help people get home.”

Drivers can find traffic alerts in the WSDOT Twitter feed or through the WSDOT Traffic App.

Sep 10-12 Weekend Update Thread Another busy weekend is ahead, here’s what you need to know (the map has been updated to reflect the abandoned SR 520 work on Montlake Blvd./ramps) pic.twitter .com / NPoLi1P9L7
– WSDOT traffic (@wsdot_traffic) September 10, 2021