Plan Ahead: Traffic This Weekend Will Be Awful
Give construction workers some space this weekend, and slow the hell down, you crazy Seattle drivers.
Viaduct Replacement Frontage Road Sidewalk by WSDOT from the Seattlest Flickr pool.
Remember last weekend, when traffic kind of didn't suck? That was a great time in Seattle's history.
But now, construction has resumed, the heat has kicked it up a notch, and unsavvy motorists who don't plan their routes ahead of time will slowly be cooked to death in their automobiles which, because we live in the Northwest, are probably not equipped with air conditioning.
Here's what's planned for the roads in the next few days. If this weekend isn't enough to make you seek alternate transit to get around, then you are truly an auto-enthusiast.
Saturday
- Good luck getting around the stadiums on Saturday. Both the Sounders and the Mariners have games scheduled, at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., respectively.
- The Huskies are also at home this weekend, at 12:30 p.m., which, coupled with the lane closures on I-5, will likely make getting to the field difficult. Leave early. This game will also be re-routing a whole host of Metro buses, including the 60s, 70s, and the 44.
- Beginning at 11:00 p.m. on Saturday night, crews will close all but one lane of northbound I-5 between I-90 and SR599. Lanes will re-open on Sunday morning at 7:00 a.m.
Sunday
- I-90's express lanes will also be closed, from 5:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. for the Escape from the Rock Triathlon. After the closure, lanes will be opened in the westbound direction.
- The Iron Girl 5k and 10k will be taking over Greenlake this weekend, forcing a re-route of the 48 bus, and likely some snarls to Aurora in the area.
- The Mariners have an afternoon game at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, which might make getting through downtown on I-5 even worse. Opt for Hwy. 99, or do the right thing and take a bus or bike.
All Weekend
- Both Saturday and Sunday will see early morning lane closures on I-5 at the Ship Canal Bridge, as crews will be conducting inspections. Crews will close one lane northbound on Saturday, and one southbound on Sunday, from 5:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. This will likely cause substantial back-ups on the Interstate.
- The Mercer on- and off-ramps will be closed, in both directions, on both days, around the clock, from 11:00 p.m. tonight, until 5:00 a.m. Monday morning. This will re-route the Metro 17, 70, 71, 72, 73, and 83.
- Also, the northbound University St. on- and off-ramps will be around the clock from 11 p.m. tonight until 5 a.m. Monday morning. This, combined with the closures at Mercer, will make passage along I-5 sticky for most of the weekend, and alternative routes are strongly suggested.
Thanks as always to WSDOT and King County Metro for the information.
