Weekend Drivers Beware: Bridge Work May Mean Delays

MERCER ISLAND, WA — Drivers planning to travel in and out of Seattle this weekend have a couple potential hiccups to consider. WSDOT will close the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90's floating bridge at 11:30 p.m. Friday. That means anyone heading to Mercer Island or Bellevue after the Mariners game must take another route, like State Route 520 (toll) or Interstate 405. The bridge should reopen by 6 a.m. Saturday.

The overnight closure will let crews perform a federally-mandated inspection of the safety systems inside the Mount Baker Tunnel. WSDOT will also use the time to clean walls, lights and catch basins inside the tunnel and the Mercer Island Lid. An inspection for the westbound portion of the tunnel is scheduled for the night of Friday, October 4th.

Both Saturday and Sunday will see delayed openings of the southbound I-5 express lanes. Normally, on weekends, southbound express lanes open at 8 a.m. and northbound open at 1:45 p.m. This Saturday, southbound lanes will not open until 10:30 a.m. and northbound until 3 p.m. As a result of the closure, all Dawgs heading to Husky Stadium will be relegated to mainline I-5, which will also be down a southbound lane until 10:30 a.m. On Sunday, one mainline lane will be closed until 3 p.m.

WSDOT says this closure will let maintenance crews clean and repair scuppers underneath the Ship Canal Bridge. To minimize travel headaches, WSDOT recommends drivers check real-time information on the WSDOT app and monitor their twitter page.