Multiple night lane closures on I-5 in Seattle this weekend

Work on I-5 will continue all summer
Photo courtesy WSDOT

SEATTLE – It’s going to be a busy weekend of work on Interstate 5 in Seattle, which means people who rely on the region’s busiest freeway will need to plan ahead, particularly at night.

The Washington State Department of Transportation plans three separate closures for construction and maintenance beginning Friday night, July 22. 

The closures include: 

• 7:30pm Friday, July 22, to 5am Monday, July 25: Southbound I-5 will be reduced to two lanes with all traffic going through the collector/distributor.
• 11pm Friday, July 22, to 6am Saturday, July 23: Southbound I-5 will be closed between Stewart and Spring streets. A signed detour will be in place.
• 11pm Saturday, July 23 to 7am Sunday, July 24: Two right lanes of northbound I-5 will be closed from the State Route 520 exit to Northeast 45th Street for bridge maintenance.

The multiple closures are necessary, said WSDOT Traffic Engineer Mike Swires, because of the amount of work the agency has this year and in the future.

“Because so much of our work is weather dependent, we need to get as much work done as possible during the summer,” Swires said. “In the coming years, we will have several major projects at once on I-5, I-405 and I-90, among other highways. Like this weekend, some of the closures needed by these projects will overlap.”

 
People who are traveling can get real-time traffic information on mobile phones with the WSDOT traffic app and by following the WSDOT traffic Twitter feed.