Weekend road work: Relief for Mercer Island drivers, scattered detours from Everett to Lacey

Sports fans won’t be the only ones cheering this weekend. Mercer Island commuters will be happy to see the East Channel Bridge project wrap up.

Since Sept. 18, expansion joint repairs have closed one eastbound lane on Interstate 90 (I-90) across Mercer Island, resulting in back-ups into Seattle and adding a half-hour to the daily commute for the 75,000 who travel during peak drive times.

Weekend road work will impact several routes in western Washington.

Overnight I-90 east lane and ramp closures: Oct. 3 to 5 from Mercer Island to Bellevue

Friday and Saturday from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will finish reconfiguring eastbound I-90 after replacing the expansion joint at E. Mercer Way.

What to expect

• Eastbound I-90 will close up to three lanes while this switch is happening.
• People should expect intermittent rolling slowdowns with up to 20-minute delays.
• The E. Mercer Way on-ramp to eastbound I-90 will close.
• The eastbound I-90 HOV on-ramp from 80th Avenue S.E. will remain closed.
• When the work is completed Sunday, all eastbound I-90 lanes and ramps will reopen.

This work needs dry weather and may need to be rescheduled.

SR 99 tunnel to close in both directions Friday night, Oct. 3, in Seattle for maintenance

WSDOT crews will start closing northbound and southbound lanes at 8:30 p.m., with the tunnel fully closed by 10 p.m. Drivers going south on SR 99 will need to take the Harrison Street off-ramp, and northbound SR 99 drivers must exit at Alaskan Way. The Sixth Avenue and Royal Brougham Way on-ramps also will close at 9 p.m.

Crews will perform regular maintenance involving several important tasks, including:

• Fire suppression testing.
• Cleaning and marking drains.
• Fixing lights.

People traveling through downtown Seattle on Friday night should use alternate routes.

SR 18 closures planned Oct. 3-6 in Auburn to complete replacement of worn bridge joints

Eastbound highway closes Friday night, Oct. 3. Westbound to fully close Sunday afternoon, Oct. 5.

Both directions of State Route 18 (SR 18) will fully close at different times during a weekend-long series of lane, ramp, and directional closures beginning Friday, Oct. 3, to complete the replacement of worn expansion joints on the C Street S.W. bridge in Auburn.

Work will be divided into three phases from 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 6.

First phase: Full eastbound SR 18 closure

From 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, until as late as 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, all eastbound lanes of SR 18 will close between C Street Southwest and Auburn Way South. All eastbound vehicles will need to exit to C Street Southwest, and drivers may follow a signed detour using city streets to the Auburn Way South on-ramp to eastbound SR 18. Police will help direct traffic through intersections.

The left lane of westbound SR 18 will close at the same time, as will the C Street Southwest on-ramp to eastbound SR 18 and the off-ramp to Auburn Way South.

Second phase: Full westbound SR 18 closure

From as early as 7 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, until as late as 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, all lanes of westbound SR 18 will close at Auburn Way South. All vehicles will need to exit to Auburn Way South and can use the on-ramp back onto westbound SR 18. Police will help direct traffic through the intersection.

Third phase: Westbound SR 18 lane reduction

From as early as 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, until as late as 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 6, the right lane of westbound SR 18 and the Auburn Way South on-ramp to westbound SR 18 will close. The left lane of westbound SR 18 will reopen during this final phase of work.

Expansion joint replacement

Contractor crews working for WSDOT will finish replacing worn expansion joints on the C Street Southwest bridge during the closures.

Crews replaced joints along the westbound SR 18 portion of the bridge Sept. 26-29 and now must flip to the other half of the bridge. After the joints are installed, crews will stretch silicone seals across the entire width of the joint. These glands allow portions of the bridge structure to expand and contract during weather changes.

The work is part of a project repaving a 3-mile stretch of eastbound SR 18 in Auburn.

Traffic shift on North Meridian Avenue at SR 167 in Puyallup planned for Oct. 4-5

Overnight lane and ramp closures will occur prior to the shift.

A traffic shift is scheduled on North Meridian Avenue at the State Route 167 interchange in Puyallup, beginning Saturday, Oct. 4. Crews working for the WSDOT will shift traffic on North Meridian Avenue into bypass lanes to create room for a new work zone.

After traffic is shifted into the bypass, crews will begin building a new diverging diamond interchange on North Meridian Avenue and bridge over it as part of the SR 167 Completion Project. In addition, the speed limit will be reduced in the area to 25 mph.

To shift traffic into the bypass for crews will close lanes overnight on SR 167, North Meridian Avenue, and Valley Avenue.

Thursday, Oct. 2, to the morning of Friday, Oct. 3

• 8:30 to 5 a.m. — Southbound SR 167 from Milwaukee Avenue to North Meridian Avenue will be reduced to one lane.
• 8:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. — Southbound SR 167 to southbound North Meridian Avenue will be reduced to one lane.
• 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. — One lane in each direction of North Meridian Avenue at SR 167 will be closed.
• 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. — The right turn lane from Valley Avenue to southbound North Meridian Avenue will be closed.

Friday, Oct. 3, to the morning of Saturday, Oct. 4

• 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. — Southbound SR 167 to southbound North Meridian Avenue will be reduced to one lane.
• 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. — The right lane of the southbound SR 167 off-ramp to North Meridian Avenue will be closed.
• 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. — The ramp from North Meridian Avenue to northbound SR 167 will be closed. The left turn lane on southbound North Meridian Avenue will also be closed. Drivers will follow a signed detour to access a new northbound SR 167 on-ramp off of North Levee Road.

Saturday, Oct. 4, to the morning of Sunday, Oct. 5

• 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. —Southbound SR 167 to northbound North Meridian Avenue will be reduced to one lane.
• 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. — One lane in each direction of North Meridian Avenue at SR 167 will be closed.
• 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. — All lanes on the North Levee Road loop that merge onto northbound SR 167 will be closed. Signed detours will be in place.
• 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. — North Meridian Avenue to northbound SR 167 full ramp closure. The left turn lane on southbound North Meridian Avenue will also be closed. Drivers will follow a signed detour to access a new northbound SR 167 on-ramp off of North Levee Road.

This work is weather-dependent and may be rescheduled in the event of rain. Drivers are encouraged to seek alternate routes this weekend.

Lane and ramp closures on I-5, SR 516, and SR 509 in south King County continue Sept. 29-Oct. 6

Lane and ramp closures on Interstate 5, State Route 516, and SR 509 in Burien, Des Moines, SeaTac, and Kent to allow crews to stripe the road. The lane and ramp closures on SR 516 will allow crews to install signage. The SR 509 lane and ramp closures will allow crews to install signage and pave the road.

This work is part of the SR 509 Completion Project.

I-5 lane closure information

Monday, Sept. 29, through the morning of Friday, Oct. 3

• 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. — Up to two lanes of southbound I-5 will close nightly between South 200th Street/Military Road South (Exit 151) and SR 516 (Exit 149).

Saturday, Oct. 4 through the morning of Sunday, Oct. 5

• 11:59 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. — Up to four lanes of northbound I-5 will close overnight between South 272nd Street (Exit 147) and SR 516 (Exit 149).

Sunday, Oct. 5 through the morning of Monday, Oct. 6

• 11:59 p.m. to 6 a.m. — Up to three lanes of southbound I-5 will close overnight between South 200th Street/Military Road South (Exit 151) and South 272nd Street (Exit 147).

SR 516 lane closure information

• 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. — One lane of westbound SR 516 will close nightly between Military Road South and SR 99.

SR 516 ramp closure information

Sunday, Oct. 5 through the morning of Monday, Oct. 6

• 11 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. — The westbound SR 516 ramp to northbound I-5 will close overnight. A signed detour will be in place.
• 11:59 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. — The eastbound SR 516 ramp to northbound I-5 will close nightly. A signed detour will be in place.

SR 509 ramp closure information

• 10:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. — The 24th Avenue South on-ramp to southbound SR 509 will close overnight. A signed detour will be in place.

SR 509 Completion Project information

The SR 509 Completion Project builds 3 miles of new tolled highway between I-5 and South 188th Street near the south end of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The new highway will be completed in stages. The portion between I-5 and 24th Avenue South opened on June 28, and a new tunnel under I-5 at the SR 516 interchange opened on July 16. The final stage builds the remaining 2 miles of the expressway between 24th Avenue South and South 188th Street. The entire project is planned for completion by 2029.

Another round of northbound I-5 weekend lane closures in Lacey 

WSDOT crews will close two right lanes of northbound I-5 between Carpenter Road and Marvin Road.

Work schedule:

• 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3 until 2 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4.
• 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4 until 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 5..
• Northbound I-5 will be reduced to one lane approaching Carpenter Road.

The lane closures allow crews to make repairs to the roadway. During the morning of Sunday, Oct. 5, travelers may see little to no activity in the work zone as concrete is curing.

EVERETT: The end is in sight for the southbound I-5 paving project

Our ongoing project to repair pavement on southbound I-5 through Everett is in its final stretch and on track to fully wrap up later this month, depending on the weather.

This weekend work continues in South Everett for a 12-14-hour window, from as early as 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, to as late as 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4:

• The southbound I-5 off-ramp to southbound SR 99/SR 527.
• The southbound I-5 off-ramp to westbound SR 526.
• Three right lanes on southbound I-5 between mileposts 189.1 and 189.4.

Nate Connors is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Follow him on X. Read more of his stories here. Submit news tips here.

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