Traffic jams likely this weekend as construction will close parts of SR 99, I-5



SEATTLE – Travelers in and around Seattle are in for big traffic jams this weekend, as several roads and lanes will be closed for construction projects.

All of southbound State Route 99 will be closed this weekend, as will several lanes on northbound I-5. In addition, Alaskan Way along the waterfront will close overnight Saturday, Oct. 13, for a traffic shift into a new alignment, according to Washington DOT.

SR 99 Southbound

Southbound SR 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct will close from 9 p.m. Friday, Oct 12, to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 15, from the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel to Spokane Street. The closure allows crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation to complete paving work near Atlantic Street, which is critical work in advance of next year’s opening of the SR 99 tunnel.

Alaskan Way along the waterfront

Alaskan Way along Seattle’s waterfront will close from 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, to 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct 14, between Railroad Way South and Wall Street. Contractor crews working for WSDOT will finish striping a new four-lane alignment along the waterfront, The traffic switch is an important step towards viaduct demolition, which starts after the new tunnel opens in early 2019. The work will not restrict access to Washington State Ferries’ Colman Dock.

Interstate 5 Northbound

Northbound I-5 will be reduced to two lanes in Seattle from Martin Luther King Jr. Way to Olive Way beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12. All lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 15. Crews are replacing pavement and expansion joints. Several ramps will close as well.