Beginning at 11 p.m. May 1, eastbound Interstate 90 will be reduced to one lane near Rainier Avenue South then rerouted to the express lanes until 5 a.m. Monday, May 4.
Contractor crews working for Washington State Department of Transportation and Sound Transit will be upgrading operation and safety systems in the eastbound Mount Baker and Mercer Island tunnels. There is one more weekend of work scheduled for May 15–18. After that, no more weekend directional closures of I-90 will take place until October.
Drivers traveling to the eastside of Lake Washington should plan for lengthy delays along Interstate 5, eastbound State Route 520 and eastbound I-90 in downtown Seattle.
Closure details
11 p.m. Friday, May 1, until 5 a.m. Monday, May 4
- Contractor crews will shift all eastbound I-90 traffic between Rainier Avenue South and Bellevue Way Southeast to the express lanes from 11 p.m.Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.
- Eastbound I-90 drivers will still be able to exit Rainier Avenue South.
- The Rainier Avenue South on-ramps to eastbound I-90 will be closed. Drivers will follow the signed detour via South Dearborn Street and Fourth Avenue South.
- Drivers transporting flammable materials eastbound across Lake Washington must use alternate routes such as Interstate 405, state routes 520 or 522.
- The I-90 Trail will not be affected during the closure.
Special events
Opening Day 2015 at the Seattle Yacht Club
- Saturday, May 2
Tools for drivers
- Visit WSDOT’s What’s Happening Now website for a 24-hour highway construction look-ahead.
- Get traveler information on your mobile device at www.wsdot.com/Inform/mobile.htm.
- Find information on Seattle area traffic at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle.
- View traffic cameras at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic.
- Find travel alerts at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/trafficalerts.
- Call 511 for traffic updates.
- Tune to highway advisory radio and watch electronic highway signs for information.
This is the fourth of up to 30 weekend directional closures of I-90 between now and mid-2017. Traffic will reduced to one lane then detoured to the I-90 express lanes during the directional closures. These closures are part of the Washington State Department of Transportation and Sound Transit’s I-90 Two-Way Transit and HOV Operations project which preserves the three general purpose lanes while adding all-day carpool lanes to I-90 and direct access ramps for transit, carpools, and vanpools. In mid-2017, Sound Transit contractors will begin work on the I-90 express lanes to operate exclusively for light rail as part of the East Link light rail project. The 14-mile East Link project, set to open in 2023, includes 10 new stations connecting Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue and Overlake.
