Seattle weekend traffic: Get ready for lane closures on I-5 and I-90

Weekend traffic is often a mess, but this weekend is a doozy: Interstate 5 and Interstate 90 are both experiencing lane closures all weekend long. That compounded with Race for the Cure and both Mariners and Sounders games are a recipe for crawling along the freeways.

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is working on three stretches of highway over the weekend: Two on I-5 and one on I-90.

WSDOT will be closing lanes on the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge, already prone to slowdowns under normal conditions, for repaving starting early Saturday—and as part of the work, the Northeast 45th Street onramp will be closed all day on Saturday. Those go through Sunday.

On I-5, WSDOT is working on one stretch of their years-long rehab project on I-5 in Seatac, which means starting Friday night, the stretch of the freeway near State Route 516 will be down to just two lanes. WSDOT says the last time they did a closure like this, it caused traffic delays of 20 to 40 minutes.

A few more events that might contribute to traffic, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation: Honk Fest West at various locations all weekend, a 5k in Fremont on Friday night, and the March for Truth on Saturday morning from Capitol Hill to Seattle Center.

The good news: If you’re headed to Sunday’s Mariners game, the Sounder train will be running from Everett and Tacoma, bypassing car traffic. Those who are a little more local, depending on where you are, can try to catch Link Light Rail, which also avoids any car-created mess—or a bus, which at least allows you read a book if you get stuck in a jam.

• Plan ahead during our busy weekend of work on I-5 and I-90 [WSDOT]
• Get ready for three years of I-5 closures [CS]