Seattle weekend traffic and transit: Beyoncé and the Seahawks

Another weekend, another whole list of things that could disrupt getting around. Some of these events might be things you’re doing, too: BEYONCÉ IS IN TOWN, for example.

We’ve combed through the alerts and advisories from both the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to deliver transit-friendly solutions for your weekend outings.

Some of this weekend’s advisories—and transit-oriented alternate routes to events—are listed below.

Weekend events: BEYONCÉ, Chris Cornell, R-Day

Beyonce and Jay-Z play Centurylink Field on Thursday night! Link Light Rail will get you there—get off at the ID or stadium stop—or walk from the First Hill Streetcar or take one of a ton of bus routes from Metro, Community Transit, and Sound Transit.

On Saturday, annual Georgetown arts festival R-Day, featuring music (the Helio Sequence and the Moondoggies), art, and beer, will close Airport Way from 13th to Corson. While the event doesn’t start until 4 p.m., the closure is all day starting at midnight. Metro route 124 will get you there.

Sunday, the Double Ten Flag Raising and Parade (and Taiwanese musical performances!) commemorates the start of the Wuchang Uprising from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. starting at Hing Hay Park. Link Light Rail and the First Hill Streetcar go right there, as do a multitude of buses too numerous to list here. (The 41, 74, 101, 102, 150, 225, and 550 run in the tunnel alone.)

Also on Sunday, MOPOP is unveiling a statue of the late Chris Cornell with a ceremony outside on Fifth Avenue from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Fifth is closed between Mercer and Broad from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.) Take 3 or 4 to get there, or the 8 to get close.

Sports: The NBA (not the Sonics) and NFL (yes the Seahawks)

Friday, the Golden State Warriors play the Sacramento Kings in an exhibition game at Key Arena. Get there using Metro routes 1, 2, 8, 13, 32, or Rapidride D.

On Sunday, there’s a big ol’ rowing event—Tail of the Lake Regatta—on Lake Union from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Spectators watch from Gas Works Park; the 31, 32, and 62 go there, or take the 26 if you don’t mind walking several blocks downhill.

The Seahawks play the Rams at Centurylink Field on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. Link Light Rail goes to the stadiums—the Stadium or International District stops are about the same for getting to Centurylink—or one of a ton of bus routes from Metro, Community Transit, and Sound Transit. The Sounder commuter train is also making special trips to this game.

Road work and bus service changes

Thanks to some emergency repair needs, southbound I-5 will be reduced to one lane between the Spokane Street and Corson/Michigan exits from Friday at 8:30 p.m. through Saturday at 8:30 a.m.; if it rains Friday, that closure will move to the next night during the same time frame.

Speaking of I-5 maintenance, the express lanes will open late on Saturday and Sunday because WSDOT has to clean the Ship Canal Bridge drains.

The First Avenue Bridge is also undergoing some maintenance this weekend, and the two right lanes will be closed from 6 to 8 a.m. on October 6 (one will stay closed until 11 a.m.).

The W Nickerson and 15th Avenue interchange will be totally closed Friday through October 22. It’s kind of a complicated detour network; SDOT has a bunch of maps. (See bus reroutes below.)

All those events above are affecting a couple of bus routes:

• All day Saturday, the 124 is getting rerouted off Airport for that R Day festival, missing three stops northbound and one stop southbound—but temporary stops are being set up in either direction.
• The Chris Cornell statue ceremony is rerouting the 3 and 4 on Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. While they’ll miss the closest stop at Broad Street, there’s a temporary stop set up at Thomas.

Some construction-related bus reroutes:

• Now through the end of the day on Monday, the 60 is being rerouted and missing its Ninth and Alder and Yesler and Broadway stops in both directions.
• Friday from 9 a.m. until the end of service, the 29 is getting rerouted off 15th Avenue W and Dravus, missing stops in both directions at Nickerson and Emerson. Same with the 31, although it’s only missing a stop eastbound.
• Friday night through Monday morning, the 271 is missing its westbound stop at Montlake and Shelby.
• Saturday and Sunday, tunnel buses are emerging to surface streets (as they all will come March): the 41, 101, 150, 255, 550, Catch ‘em (mostly) on Second and Fourth instead.
• Saturday and Sunday, while headed eastbound, the 2 is missing its stop at 11th and Madison.

Note: We put immediate and new closures in this section, but not every single planned street closure appears here. Explore all 93 active SDOT projects, many of which involve street and lane closures, here, and the city’s construction lookahead. Here are Sound Transit rider alerts; here are King County Metro rider alerts.