SEATTLE — The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) tunnel maintenance crews will close eastbound Interstate 90 between Seattle and Mercer Island on Friday night for regularly scheduled routine maintenance work.
WSDOT said in a release that all eastbound lanes on I-90 between Interstate 5 and Island Crest Way will close to all vehicles beginning at 11 p.m. Friday night. The I-5 and Rainier Avenue South on-ramps to eastbound I-90 will also close, WSDOT said in a release.
More details on the I-90 closure:
- From 11 p.m. on Friday, until 6 a.m. on Saturday, all lanes on eastbound I-90 between the I-5 interchange (milepost 2) in Seattle and the Island Crest Way (milepost 7) on ramp on Mercer Island will close.
- Eastbound I-90 on-ramp closures include from northbound and southbound I-5 as well as from northbound and southbound Rainier Avenue South.
- Traffic joining eastbound I-90 from 4th Avenue South and Edgar Martinez Drive South during closure hours will be forced to exit either to northbound or southbound I-5.
Traffic officials said people traveling to Mercer Island or east from Seattle should use alternate routes such as eastbound SR 520 (tolled route), or I-5 to I-405.
According to WSDOT, crews complete this routine maintenance in the I-90 tunnels multiple times a year. The work includes inspection of the safety systems, checking and replacing tunnel lights and other tasks. Westbound lanes in both tunnels will undergo similar maintenance in the spring.
Travelers can receive real-time roadway and weather information via the WSDOT mobile app, the real-time travel map, or by following the WSDOT Traffic Twitter account.