Traffic alert: I-5 express-lane closures, festivals may add congestion this weekend

Planned lane closures and community events will complicate traffic for travelers this weekend.

The Interstate 5 express lanes will be closed from 11 p.m. Friday to Sunday morning. Crews will inspect the express-lane gate at the south entrance near Seneca Street and the Ship Canal Bridge as part of federal requirements.

Express lanes will reopen in the southbound direction by 11 a.m. Sunday.

Traffic Lab is a Seattle Times project that digs into the region’s thorny transportation issues, spotlights promising approaches to easing gridlock, and helps readers find the best ways to get around. It is funded with the help of community sponsors Alaska Airlines, Kemper Development Co., NHL Seattle, PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company and Seattle Children’s hospital. Seattle Times editors and reporters operate independently of our funders and maintain editorial control over Traffic Lab content.

Meanwhile, crews will close the Royal Brougham Way onramp in Sodo to northbound Highway 99 from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday to make upgrades to equipment that measures traffic use on the ramp.

A planned closure on the Aurora Bridge has been postponed to August due to a chance of rain in the forecast.

The West Seattle Summer Fest, the Ballard SeafoodFest and the Seattle International Beerfest at Seattle Center this weekend may also bring increased traffic to those areas.

WSDOT advises attendees to consider taking transit, carpooling, bicycling or walking to avoid traffic.

Bicyclists participating in STP, the 206-mile ride from Seattle to Portland, will leave around 5 a.m. Saturday from the University of Washington. Travelers should prepare for 8,000 bicyclists to roll out of Seattle and through Kent along state Highway 181 on their way to Oregon.

All ferry trips to and from Colman Dock follow a temporary sailing schedule Saturday through Monday so crews can pour a new concrete walkway as part of the Colman Dock rebuilding project. Check with Washington State Ferries for the sailing times.

WSDOT said the change is required because “it is not possible” to maintain access from the existing terminal and install the walkway at the same time.