SEATTLE — Three lanes of southbound I-5 will be closed all weekend, near the Seattle-Tukwila city limits, as the Washington State Department of Transportation resumes its “Revive I-5” project to fix the freeway’s rugged pavement.
Lane reductions are scheduled from 11 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Monday. Only two lanes will remain open, on the left side, so congestion is likely.
This will be the first of about 13 major construction blockages in the area during 2024, fluctuating between Georgetown and Tukwila, the agency announced. As of Thursday afternoon, the job was still a go, despite the wintry mix of rain and snow pelting the metro area.
WSDOT is moving toward more winter road work because there’s too much major maintenance to accomplish in the limited warm-weather season.
Crews will be resurfacing three right lanes just after the Boeing Access Road exit, which remains open. The next offramp, Exit 157 directly to Highway 900 and the Skyway neighborhood, is adjacent to construction and will be closed.
Workers will replace some concrete panels, while in other places they’ll grind the pavement to smooth out ruts and bumps, said spokesperson Amy Moreno.
WSDOT contractors ordered a quick-curing concrete that’s roadworthy after 24 hours, along with additives to speed the hardening process. Those methods, along with tarps, allow the team to repave I-5 despite expected rain, so long as the temperatures stay several degrees above freezing, Moreno said. Tukwila temperatures will be in the 40s, the National Weather Service predicted.
Weekend lane reductions will begin alongside Boeing Field. Safety is a challenge there because thousands of drivers like to floor the gas pedal after leaving downtown Seattle, often reaching 80 mph in the 60 mph zone.
Drivers can reduce rear-end crash hazards, and maybe find a quicker trip, using other routes. From North Seattle, the Highway 99 toll tunnel leads to East Marginal Way South and eventually to Tukwila. West Seattle and South Park drivers can choose Highway 599 to bypass I-5. Drivers from Snohomish County or northeast Seattle might divert east to southbound I-405 and reenter I-5 near Southcenter, Moreno said.
Other big detours:
- Sound Transit light rail stations will close all day Saturday and Sunday at Westlake, University Street, Pioneer Square, Chinatown International District and Stadium stations because of trackwork downtown. More schedule details are at soundtransit.org.
- The Highway 520 walk-bike trail across Lake Washington will close from 10 p.m. Friday until 1 p.m. Feb. 2, while contractors relocate the trail away from buried utility lines on the Seattle side of the lake. Construction of a landscaped lid and larger traffic interchange at Montlake Boulevard is nearing the final stages. The interchange will also close from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday, for utility work and to deposit soil on the new lid.
- I-90 through Snoqualmie Pass should become more passable this weekend, as freezing rain and blizzards give way to warmer rain and snow, with minimal snow accumulations forecast, WSDOT said. In these situations, the drainage tends to be poor, so decelerate or avoid puddles in the freeway that can cause spinouts.
- From 11 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Saturday, eastbound I-90 will close across Lake Washington for routine maintenance in the Mount Baker Tunnel and under Mercer Island lids.
- All lanes of northbound I-405 from Totem Lake Boulevard to Northeast 160th Street will close from 11:59 p.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Sunday.
