Seattle-area highway, light rail closures crammed in this weekend
Seattle-area highways and transit will be racked by four big closures this weekend, before the summer of soccer brings most construction work to a halt in mid-June.
Miles-long backups are forecast approaching southbound I-405 in Kirkland, closing from 11 p.m. Friday, May 29, until 4 a.m. Monday, June 1. Contractors will slice through the freeway to create a tunnel for fish passage, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. WSDOT is building a triple-deck interchange at Northeast 85th Street by late 2027, to serve toll-lane drivers, and a future Sound Transit rapid bus line.
Light rail will be blocked all day Saturday and Sunday through downtown Seattle, so riders will need to transfer from trains onto shuttle buses serving all stations between Capitol Hill and Stadium along the 1 Line, and between South Bellevue and International District/Chinatown stations on the 2 Line.
Workers will replace a recently discovered cracked rail near Westlake Station to reduce risks of a sudden disruption during the FIFA Men's World Cup, said Sound Transit spokesperson Henry Bendon. On the lake, a safety platform to prevent worker falls, more security fencing and power-line accessories will be added.
Eastbound Highway 520 will close from I-5 to Montlake Boulevard from 11 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday. WSDOT will shift the exit lane position at Montlake, adding space to build a new Portage Bay bridge. From Montlake eastward, only the center carpool ramp toward the floating bridge will stay open, while the general traffic ramp is closed.
The busy interchange from westbound I-90 to westbound Highway 18 near Snoqualmie will close for paving, from 9 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday. Detours will be marked to other exits. Access will also close in the lesser-used direction from eastbound 18 to westbound I-90.
Meanwhile, the repave of two northbound I-5 Ship Canal Bridge lanes continues, and express lanes always point north.
Everything changes in another week, when northbound I-5's mainline will close all the way from I-90 to Northeast 45th Street when crews move equipment from late-night June 5 until early June 8.
After that, all I-5 lanes will be restored during the World Cup. Minimal construction will occur throughout Western Washington, for five weeks until late July 11. Six matches are scheduled in Seattle, and seven in Vancouver, B.C.
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