Weekend Traffic: I-5 Delays, Fremont Solstice, SR 99 Closures

SEATTLE, WA — Happy summer solstice — now construction season can officially get underway.

Here's a rundown of some of the bigger construction projects and events happening around Puget Sound for the weekend of June 21 to June 23. Expect slowdowns in downtown Seattle along I-5, along I-5 in the Olympia area, and across the Aurora Avenue bridge.

I-5 in downtown Seattle

Each night between 10 p.m. and 4:30 a.m., all lanes of southbound I-5 will be closed north of Yesler Way in downtown Seattle. Traffic will get by on the collector-distributor lanes to I-90.

Also in downtown Seattle: the southbound I-5 HOV lane between Mercer Street and Yesler will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Sunday. On Friday and Saturday 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., the I-90 ramp to southbound I-5 will be closed, and so will the Edgar Martinez Drive on-ramp to I-5.

Aurora Bridge

Each night from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., one lane in each direction across the SR 99 Aurora Bridge will be closed. WSDOT crews are repaving and repairing the bridge deck.

I-5 in Nisqually

Starting at 10 p.m. Friday, northbound I-5 in the Nisqually area between Tacoma and Olympia will drop down to three lanes. WSDOT is repairing the bridge over the Nisqually River, and other recent weekend closures along this stretch have created major delays.

Fremont Solstice Celebrations

The Fremont Solstice Parade in Seattle will essentially shut down the areas around North 35th and 34th streets for most of the weekend. The solstice parade happens Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. The accompanying Fremont Solstice Fair happens Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.