Work on I-5 North to cause backups near Kent, starting Sept. 8
Summer may be over, but construction season is not. After a break for the Labor Day weekend, WSDOT is back at work on northbound I-5 for its #ReviveI5 project. Starting Friday, Sept. 8, we can expect traffic back-ups near the Tukwila and Kent exits for three more (non-consecutive) weekends.
Northbound I-5 will reduce to two lanes from 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8 to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 11. Lane reductions are scheduled for the weekends of Sept. 29-Oct. 2 and Oct. 13-16.
“Working in this area will create backups onto southbound I-405 and eastbound State Route 518, as well as northbound I-5,” WSDOT Traffic Engineer Mike Swires said. “We’re asking travelers to plan ahead and allow extra time, whether they’re going to the airport, shopping or just passing through the area.”
Know before you go
Washington State Department of Transportation contractor crews will close the three left lanes over the coming weekends to repave the Interurban Avenue and Duwamish River bridges and replace expansion joints at Interurban Avenue. Drivers should be prepared for delays throughout the weekend of Sept. 8.
- Allow extra travel time, particularly if you’re headed to SeaTac airport.
- The northbound I-5 HOV lane will be closed south of the I-405 interchange.
- The eastbound SR 518 on-ramp to northbound I-5 will remain open, but drivers need to merge right immediately.
- The Interurban Avenue on-ramp to northbound I-5 will be closed.
Get the latest information on WSDOT’s Seattle traffic page, mobile app for Android or iOS and on @WSDOT_Traffic on Twitter.
Eight weekends complete
This portion of the #ReviveI5 project requires 11 weekends of lane reductions on northbound I-5 and crews have completed eight so far.
WSDOT contractor crews repaved the right side of the Interurban Avenue and Duwamish River bridges and replaced three expansion joints at Interurban during the weekend of Aug. 26-27. During seven weekend closures earlier this summer, crews paved more than 4 miles of northbound I-5 between SR 516 and South 170th Street.
I-5 rehabilitation continues into October
During the weekends of Sept. 29-Oct. 2 and Oct. 13-16, crews will reduce northbound I-5 to two lanes to replace expansion joints at Interurban Avenue and the Duwamish River Bridge.
Crews will continue working weeknights between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. to repair concrete, replace broken concrete panels and grind the lanes to eliminate ruts.
Work on this $31 million project will be complete by summer 2018.
