Plan for I-90 closure this weekend
Published 12:34 pm Wednesday, March 25, 2015
An overturned truck full of salmon on Highway 99 caused major traffic problems for Seattle commuters yesterday at rush hour, even affecting the start time of the Sounders game. Two players almost missed the match, and had to ditch their cars and run to the stadium to make it on time.
Traffic woes are expected to continue this weekend. An I-90 closure will cause delays, especially for those trying to get from Bellevue to Mercer Island.
All westbound lanes on the I-90 bridge will be closed Friday night through early Monday morning. Cars will be funneled into the express lanes while crews make upgrades inside the westbound Mount Baker and Mercer Island tunnels. It’s part of a construction project to add HOV lanes to the outer roadways, as Sound Transit will eventually be taking over the current express lanes for light rail.
This is the second of 30 planned closures over the next few years. The first was on Feb. 28 – March 1.
Drivers who want to access Mercer Island will have to get off at East Mercer Way, as there are no exits to the Island from the express lanes. Drivers also won’t be able to exit I-90 at Rainier Avenue once they’ve crossed the lake.
The Mercer Island City Council received an email from a resident asking them to contact the State and demand SR-520 westbound tolls be lifted over the weekend to mitigate the traffic impact for Islanders.
The resident said it took his wife more than an hour to return from Mercer Island from the Westlake area during the last closure, which affected the eastbound lanes.
In addition to the I-90 closure this weekend, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) crews are shutting down the Alaskan Way Viaduct for an annual inspection.
“With no major events this weekend, it’s the perfect time to bundle up these needed roadway closures,” said WSDOT Traffic Engineer Mark Bandy. “Even so, we still expect traffic will be heavy. Drivers can help keep traffic moving by carpooling, taking transit or delaying discretionary trips.”
The entire roadway between Spokane Street and the Battery Street Tunnel will be closed from 6 a.m to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The will also be lane closures on SR-99 north of the Battery Street tunnel from Friday night through Monday morning. Crews working on the SR-99 Tunnel Project, the Mercer Corridor Project and Seattle Public Utilities plan to complete utility and sign bridge installation work.
Tools for drivers:
-Subscribe to WSDOT’s Eastside or Seattle Area News email updates.
-Visit WSDOT’s What’s Happening Now website for a 24-hour highway construction look-ahead.
-Get traveler information on your mobile device and view traffic cameras at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic.
-Find travel alerts at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/trafficalerts.
-Call 511 for traffic updates.
-Tune to highway advisory radio and watch electronic highway signs for information.
