SEATTLE — Those looking to travel to Seattle for the upcoming Pride event or during Independence Day weekend should expect to see some significant delays.
Revive I-5 work will commence over both the June 25-26 weekend which will include Seattle Pride and July 2-3 ahead of Independence Day.
Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) explained in a Tuesday press release that due to weather and the recent closure of I-405 over the June 18-19 weekend, its contractor must work both of the upcoming high-volume weekends to maintain the pace to complete the project.
"Our contractor, C.A. Carey, plans to do this work over 15 weekends, WSDOT's Tom Pearce said in a statement. "So far, they’ve only be able to work two of the five scheduled. And with the possibility of more rain this season, we’re taking steps to avoid further delays to this critical work."
Transportation crews are planning lane reductions along southbound I-5 between I-90 and Spokane Street in Seattle. During the lane reductions, crews will be replacing 35 expansion joints that are “road-worn and ready to retire.”
Expansion joints run across the width of the highway and allow sections of the roadway to “expand and contract with weather and to flex under the weight of heavy vehicles,” according to the WSDOT website. It can take crews about 55 hours to fix a single expansion joint.
WSDOT is encouraging those wishing to travel to Seattle for Pride to utilize public transportation and drive on SR 99 as an alternative.
For Independence Day Weekend, the lane reductions will be delayed for a few hours Friday night in order to allow those heading out of town that night a smoother experience. The lanes will start to close at around 9:30 p.m. Friday night and begin reopening the morning of July 4 at around 6:30 a.m.
WSDOT said it plans to work essentially every weekend through the end of September, although work is not anticipated on Labor Day Weekend.
"We appreciate your patience as we continue this work," WSDOT concluded in the statement. "By this fall, we expect to have all new joints and smooth rides as we Revive I-5.