Headed to the Seattle area this weekend? Beware of the ‘monster’ road work, WSDOT says
If you’re planning a trip to the Seattle area this weekend, the state Department of Transportation wants you to know this: It also happens to be the biggest weekend of WSDOT construction closures for the region this year.
WSDOT officials were blunt about the situation.
“Together these closures form a ‘monster’ traveler challenge,” WSDOT officials announced in a news release on Tuesday.
The closures begin late Friday, Sept. 27, and continue until early Monday, Sept. 30.
SR 520 closure
The state Route 520 closure stretches from I-5 in Seattle to 92nd Avenue Northeast in Clyde Hill on the Eastside and includes all of the associated on- and off-ramps, according to WSDOT. The SR 520 Trail will also close for bicyclists and pedestrians across the lake. The highway and trail will close at 11 p.m. Friday and reopen at 5 a.m. Monday.
Northbound I-405 closure
Northbound I-405 in Renton will be closed from Sunset Boulevard Northeast/Southport Drive (Exit 5) to Coal Creek Parkway Southeast from 11 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday. The following ramps will also be closed:
▪ Sunset Boulevard Northeast on-ramp (Exit 5).
▪ Northeast 30th Street on- and off-ramps (Exit 6).
▪ Northeast 44th Street on- and off-ramps (Exit 7).
▪ Lake Washington Boulevard Southeast on- and off-ramps (Exit 8).
▪ Coal Creek Parkway off-ramp (Exit 10).
Contractor crews will shift northbound traffic onto a new bridge as part of the I-405/Renton to Bellevue Widening and Express Toll Lanes Project, according to WSDOT.
Southbound SR 167 closure
Southbound state Route 167 will be closed in Kent from state Route 516 to South 277th Street beginning 11:59 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday. The following ramps will also be closed:
▪ SR 516 on-ramp to southbound SR 167.
▪ Southbound SR 167 off-ramp to South 277th Street.
I-5 overnight closures
Both directions of I-5 between state Route 18 in Federal Way and 54th Avenue East in Fife will be closed overnight on Friday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 28.
Northbound lanes will be closed by 10:30 p.m. and southbound lanes by 11 p.m. Lanes begin reopening at 7 a.m. Saturday with all lanes open by 11 a.m. On Sunday, lanes begin reopening at 8 a.m. with all lanes open by noon.
Travelers headed to the Fife area should use the signed state Route 99 detour route. People with destinations other than Fife should consider using regional routes, including SR 18, SR 161, SR 167 and SR 512.
Mercer Street on-ramps to I-5
The Mercer Street on-ramps to both north and southbound I-5 in Seattle will close, beginning at 10 p.m. on Friday and reopen at 5 a.m. Monday. This work is part of the SR 520 I-5 Express Lanes Connection Project.
This story was originally published September 25, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
