Weekend Lane Closures Begin Friday Night On I-5 In Seattle

SEATTLE — Southbound drivers should expect regular weekend delays along a stretch of Interstate 5, beginning Friday, as the Washington State Department of Transportation gets started on expansion joint work in Seattle.

Starting at 7:30 p.m. Friday, WSDOT will move all southbound traffic into the collector/distributor lanes near Spokane Street, and the change will remain in place until early Monday morning. During that time, crews will be replacing expansion joints as part of the larger Revive I-5 project.

Those with upcoming plans in the Seattle area will need to plan for some disruptions into the fall, with weekend lane reductions scheduled over 16 upcoming weekends, excluding major holidays. The work is weather-dependent, so rain could delay upcoming closures as necessary. Expansion joints allow freeway sections to expand and contract with the weather and flex under heavy vehicles, and many are well overdue for replacement.

According to WSDOT, it takes more than 48 hours for crews to remove and replace joints, then pour new concrete. WSDOT repaved 1.25 miles of the freeway in 2021, and this year plans to replace 35 expansion joints between Spokane Street and Interstate 90.

More details about the weekend lane closures are available on WSDOT's website.