SEATTLE — Travelers using northbound Interstate 5 through downtown Seattle should plan for delays this weekend.
The Washington Department of Transportation will close the lanes between Lakeview Boulevard and State Route 520 at 10 p.m. Friday, May 19, through 10 a.m. Saturday, May 20.
"Any drivers who are on northbound I-5 will detour to eastbound 520," said WSDOT spokesperson Tony Black. "They'll then take the Montlake Boulevard exit and basically turn around and get back on westbound 520, where they can then rejoin northbound I-5."
Police officers will be on hand to help guide travelers through the detour. People who remain on eastbound SR 520 past the Montlake Boulevard exit will need to pay the SR 520 bridge toll.
When the northbound lanes reopen, crews will close the I-5 express lanes from 11 a.m., Saturday, May 20, through Sunday, May 21 at 10 a.m.
The closures are needed to place girders over the interstate for a new flyover ramp connecting State Route 520 to the express lanes.
"The main goal of this is for transit and for carpools to be able to have a more direct access to the South Lake Union neighborhood to Mercer Street and not have to do what a lot of people probably know is that Mercer merges,” added Black. “When you're getting off of westbound 520 on southbound I-5 having to cross four or five lanes of traffic.”
Black urges people should plan ahead for delays in their travel and consider adjusting their trips if possible.
WSDOT plans to have the SR 520 I-5 Express Lanes Connection Projected completed by spring 2024.