Hey kids! As always, your Traffic Divas are here to help- so below, you will find up to date info for NB 5 closures the next two weekends (March 29-April 1 and April 5-8)! The project is HUGE and the DOT will need YOUR help to make things easier for everyone! At the height of the work only ONE lane will be open between Albro and the West Seattle Bridge. The DOT is asking people to take an alternate route if they can to minimize the delays! Plan ahead and hopefully the impact can be kept to a minimum!
Here's that info we were telling you about!
On consecutive weekends – March 29-April 1 and April 5-8 – drivers will see significant lane closures on northbound Interstate 5 near South Albro Place to the West Seattle Bridge/I-5 interchange. From 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, three out of five lanes will be closed around the clock, leaving two lanes open. From midnight to 4 a.m. Friday and Sunday nights, an additional fourth lane will close, leaving one lane open. That’s a big closure, and we need some big help! We’ll get into specifics below, but overall, we need at least 60 percent of drivers who normally use northbound I-5 to take alternate routes or be prepared to face long delays. Can you be in that 60 percent?
The closure covers about a quarter of a mile just south of downtown Seattle. The stretch was constructed in 1965 but 50 years of traffic has weakened the steel expansion joints that connect the concrete spans that make up I-5 as it curves through the industrial area.
Yes, we know the first closure comes during Easter. But this is critical safety work that is part of the Spokane Street Interchange Special Bridge Repair project and it simply has to get done. Without this work, the risk for serious collisions will continue to grow. With so much going on in Seattle, there are no “good” weekends for this kind of closure, so we do everything we can to make it as painless as possible.
We’ve worked closely with existing projects to coordinate work. We’ll have crews in the field monitoring traffic and the construction work and making adjustments as needed. Extra Incident Response Team trucks will be available to quickly clear any disabled vehicles to keep traffic moving. Travel times, alternate route options and any other updates will appear on overhead message boards and on our website and Twitter feed. Additionally, we’re keeping the I-90 express lanes westbound all weekend to help improve traffic flow.
If you must drive through the area, add plenty of extra time into your trip. We expect the heaviest traffic to come midday Saturday and Sunday on northbound I-5 and I-90 into Seattle and on I-405 approaching I-90. Consider using alternate routes like northbound I-405 to I-90 and northbound SR 599 to SR 99. Maybe now is a good time to try public transportation or carpool.
During the closures, crews will replace four expansion joints that run the width of the highway. If they fail, they can pop up and create obstacles for vehicles, which could lead to collisions and damage to the cars or trucks. We is committed to keeping our highways as safe as possible and we’re working to prevent any problems before they arise.
The current joints are coming apart. No surprise, since this section of highway carries more than a million vehicles every week. The new joints will bend and flex as the concrete expands and contracts with changing traffic and weather patterns, leading to a safer commute.
We know there are going to be backups on northbound I-5 during these closures. Those are impossible to avoid. But with some planning ahead of time, adjustments to schedules or routes and simply knowing what is going on and what to expect, we hope that at least some headaches will be avoided, and we thank everyone for their patience and cooperation!
