Freeway Closure Means Weeks of Heavy Seattle Traffic
The dog days of summer are going to get a little more unbearable around the greater Seattle area. In just another week, the Washington State Department of Transportation will close most of northbound I-5 for 19 days to perform needed maintenance.
Starting the evening of August 10th, and tentatively scheduled to run through August 29th, the portion of northbound I-5 between South Spokane Street and the I-90 interchange will be closed. The closure will be 24/7 until the maintenance work in completed.
Travel from Sea-Tac Airport into the city will be affected by the closure. The WSDOT is expecting the closure will also have a significant impact on Wet Seattle, as well as on the south and southwestern parts of King County.Metro and Sound Transit bus service will be rerouted.
The closure will cause a nightmare for commuters trying to navigate the north/south corridor, and SERIOUS delays are to be expected! If your travel plans have you in Seattle during the time, or your are resident who will be impacted by the freeway closure, research and plan your alternative routes now.
King County Metro Online offers a variety of suggestions to ease your commute burden, and also provides additional information and links on the closure.
It looks like it’s going to be a bumpy ride for a few weeks!
Photo credit: flickr
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4 Comments
I’m in the Seattle area usually 3x month for business and I’m already looking for alternate routes and much closer hotels to eliminate congestion. Everyone needs to start planning early!
Hi Julie,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
It is going to be a HUGE mess for the next few weeks. You’d be well advised to allow additional time, probably as much as an additional hour and a half, if your a commuting from the airport into the city.
If you don’t have to be in the city, I’d consisder scheduling meetings elsewhere — on the east side, nearer the airport, or even consider teleconferencing.
It’s will be a mess!
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