Seattle weekend traffic: Northbound SR-99, southbound I-5, Seahawks, and Oktoberfest

Another weekend, another whole list of things that could disrupt getting around. Some of these events might be things you’re doing, too: The Storm are in the WNBA finals, the Mariners have a few games, and it’s the UW home opener. In non-sports, neighborhood events abound, from markets to a festival celebrating vans.

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: Oktoberfest

Now through Sunday, Seattle/King County Clinic, the annual, volunteer-driven event providing free dental, vision, and medical care, is setting up at Key Arena. Get there using Metro routes 1, 2, 8, 13, 32, or Rapidride D.

Hold onto your livers, because it’s Fremont Oktoberfest all day Friday through Sunday along the Fremont Cut, setting up in the triangle of Canal, 35th, and Phinney. The 40 will take you pretty much right there, or the 31, 32, 62, and 5 will all get you close.

Friday night at Safeco Field, it’s the annual Night Out for Caring, featuring... karaoke in Macklemore’s Cadillac? Take Link Light Rail (Stadium stop is best for Safeco), or it’s extremely well served by buses across multiple agencies.

The King Romeo Santos plays Wamu Theater on Friday night. Again: Link Light Rail goes to the stadium district (Stadium or ID are about the same for Wamu), or a ton of bus routes from Metro, Community Transit, and Sound Transit will also get you there.

Saturday morning, the Shatterproof Rise Up Against Addiction 5K is happening at Magnuson Park. The 64, 72, and 75 go right there.

Also Saturday, the Million Worker March starts with a panel discussion with founding members of the original event at Garfield High School (featuring Danny Glover!) at 11 a.m., then follows with a march and rally at 3 p.m. Get to Garfield on the 3 or 4.

Saturday night at Wamu Theater, it’s a double bill of the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. Same directions: Link Light Rail to the stadium or ID stop or one of a myriad bus routes.

Sunday morning in West Seattle, it’s the Orca Half Marathon, running from Lincoln Park to the Don Armeni Boat Ramp. If you’re running the thing (it’s sold out), shuttles will take you from the finish line to the starting line; otherwise, take the C Line to the park. To get to the finish line, take the 37 or, with a little bit of a walk, the Water Taxi.

The second—of three!—Sunday morning runs is the Run of Hope, benefitting pediatric brain tumor research, at Seward Park. The 50 runs there from the Link Light Rail Othello station.

The third run is a street scramble designed to prime you for the aforementioned Oktoberfest. It starts at 35th and Phinney, so your transit directions should be the same as Oktoberfest.

Sports: Seahawks home opener

UW Husky football has a game against Arizona State at Husky Stadium on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.; take Link Light Rail straight there, or ride Metro routes 44, 45, 71, or 73. Metro also offers game day shuttles from the ‘burbs. There’s also a shuttle running around the University District.

It’s the Seahawks home opener at the Dallas Cowboys at 1:25 p.m.; we’ve gone over the directions a few times, but in case you skimmed down here, 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. You can also take the Sounder train in from the ‘burbs for this one!

Road work and bus service changes

Northbound State Route 99 will be closed for tunnel stuff starting Friday at 9 p.m. through Monday at 5 a.m. from Spokane to the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel. The Royal Brougham on-ramp will open on Saturday night so people can leave the Seahawks game.

On Saturday, SDOT is installing a mast arm on a signal pole on Sixth Avenue downtown, closing Sixth between Seneca and University from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. that night.

The 31, 32, 44, 45, 48, 65, 67, 71, and 75 all get rerouted on Husky game days—so Friday night.

Saturday, the Million Worker March will reroute the 2, 3, from 2 to 4 p.m.

Some construction reroutes:

• Saturday at 6 a.m. through Sunday at 10 p.m., the 70 is getting rerouted off Fairview between Harrison and Denny—but with no missed stops (but possible delays).
• Saturday at 7 a.m. through Sunday at 7 p.m., the 2 will be rerouted off Hubbell between Spring and Seneca, missing one stop.
• The 26 Express is getting rerouted—and missing a few stops—through Wallingford for construction on Sunday between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
• Sunday, the 70 is getting rerouted off 15th Avenue NE between 45th and 50th all day.

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.

This has been updated to clarify the direction a freeway ramp is from the Seahawks game.