Avoid I-5 This Weekend: Construction Taking Over Major Highways

BELLEVUE, WA - Here's a shocker: traffic is going to be bad on major highways around Puget Sound this weekend. The region got a reprieve due to the July 4 holiday last weekend, but our weekly dose of construction delays returns this weekend - with a vengeance.

Major construction projects will be taking place in Seattle, Bellevue, and Tacoma, which, of course, are all major choke points for highways. Pay particularly close attention to the changes going on in Tacoma, because it'll take some getting used to.

Here's what's on tap for the weekend, according to WSDOT:

SEATTLE

• All lanes of southbound I-5 CLOSED midnight to 5 a.m. Saturday for fire alarm testing inside the convention center underpass
• Northbound I-5 between SR 516 and Southcenter down to two lanes for repaving all weekend
• Southbound I-5 down to two lanes across Ship Canal Bridge Sunday night to 5 a.m. Monday for repairs

TACOMA

• Northbound exit 133 CLOSED for HOV construction
• Left lane of southbound I-5 near the Tacoma Dome closed all weekend

The Tacoma changes are major, and are explained in this WSDOT video:

BELLEVUE & POINTS EAST

• I-90 on and off-ramps at Bellevue Way closed 7 a.m. Saturday to 9 p.m. Sunday for light rail construction
• General construction all weekend on I-90 between North Bend and Ellensburg

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Mariners play Friday and Saturday at 7:10 p.m. and Sunday at 1:10 p.m.
• Seattle Sounders play at noon Saturday at CenturyLink
• Shawn Mendes concert at Key Arena, 7:30 p.m. Saturday
• Tacoma Pride along Pacific Avenue all weekend

Image Patch.com file photo