SEATTLE — Editor’s note: The video above was originally published on April 1 after multiple vehicles were involved in an incident caused by a broken expansion joint in Seattle.
SEATTLE - Brace yourselves, Seattle drivers. Weekend lane closures along southbound Interstate 5 are happening again this summer.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is planning about 16 weekends of lane reductions along southbound I-5 between I-90 and Spokane Street in Seattle this summer. 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.
The first weekend-long lane closure will begin on Friday, May 6, at 8 p.m. All southbound lanes are expected to reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday, May 9. The WSDOT said all southbound traffic will shift through the collector/distributor during the lane reductions.
The WSDOT said the lane reductions may impact travel plans but said drivers could still get to events in downtown Seattle, including the scheduled Mariners’ games “if you allow extra time and use alternate transportation.”
The department said drivers could use public transportation, carpool or travel before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m. as possible alternatives to driving. Rescheduling your trip or using scooter or bike rentals are also options, the WSDOT said.
Work is weather dependent, but the WSDOT said crews plan to work every weekend except for the following:
- Memorial Day: May 28-30
- University of Washington commencement: June 11-12
- Independence Day: July 2-4
- Labor Day: Sept. 3-5
The closures come after up to 10 vehicles either hit a broken expansion joint near the Spokane Street Bridge on April 1 or crashed as a result of the incident. One of the vehicles that hit the expansion joint rolled over in a crash, the WSDOT said. The driver of the vehicle suffered minor injuries.
There wasn't one specific cause of the expansion joint coming loose, according to the WSDOT. Rather, time and wear and tear eventually led to the incident.
"Keep in mind, I-5 is an old Interstate," WSDOT spokesperson Amy Moreno said during an interview with KING 5 on April 1. "It was built in the ‘60s. It's aging, it was only meant to survive 25 years. Our WSDOT crews have done an admirable job of just trying to maintain it, but it is aging, and that's why we're doing this project."