Get ready for three weeks of traffic closures on Aurora Avenue North.
Sections of Aurora Avenue North will close overnight near the Battery Street Tunnel for the next three weeks, beginning Monday night.
Washington State Department of Transportation crews will put up streetlights, traffic sensors and sign bridges near the north portal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Tunnel, the agency said in a news release.
At some point, the behind-schedule boring machine, Bertha, is expected to emerge from that portal. The machine is currently at a “safe haven,” where it is undergoing maintenance before it begins a drilling push beneath Pioneer Square.
WSDOT plans to close the viaduct for two weeks as a precaution once maintenance is complete and Bertha is ready to burrow beneath the 63-year-old structure. Dates for that closure have not yet been announced.
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Here’s what commuters will need to know:
Aurora closures
• From Monday, April 4, to the morning of Friday, April 8: Northbound lanes closed, 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., from the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel to Valley Street.
• From Monday, April 11, to the morning of Saturday, April 16: Southbound lanes closed, 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., from Valley Street to Thomas Street.
• From Monday, April 18, to the morning of Tuesday, April 19: Southbound lanes closed, 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., from the Fremont Way North onramp to the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel. Northbound left lane closed, 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., from Mercer Street to the south end of the Aurora Bridge.
• From Tuesday, April 19, to the morning of Friday, April 22: Southbound lanes closed, 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., from the Dexter Avenue North exit to the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel. Northbound left lane closed, 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., from Mercer Street to the south end of the Aurora Bridge.
Buses rerouted
Northbound 5, 26E, 28E and RapidRide E buses will be rerouted this week to Dexter Avenue North when Aurora Avenue North is closed for construction.
Check King County Metro’s transit alert page for more details about route changes due to construction.