Updated: Upcoming bridge (etc.) closures for the first week of July

(EDITOR’S NOTE: No 99 closures this week, so this stands as the official “this week’s closures” list for July 1st and beyond ** UPDATED 7/2 to add 7/6 bridge-exit closure)

SDOT has announced next week’s plan for Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project-related closures – including a weekend-long westbound SSV closure scheduled for late night Friday, 7/6, till early morning Monday, 7/9. Full list ahead:

The westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed the weekend after the July 4th holiday. Specifically, all westbound lanes between I-5 and SR 99 will be closed continuously from 10 p.m. on Friday, July 6, until 5 a.m. on Monday, July 9. The SR 99 off-ramp to West Seattle will remain open, providing an opportunity to avoid the closure. (A link to other detours is provided below.)

Calendar of Other Upcoming Project Traffic Impacts:

Monday, July 2

· The westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct between I-5 and SR 99 will be closed overnight from July 2, 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning, July 3. The SR 99 off-ramp to West Seattle will remain open, providing an opportunity to avoid the closure. The links below lead to information regarding other detour options.

Map routes to West Seattle from north during the closure
Map routes to West Seattle from south during the closure

Thursday, July 5

· The right-most eastbound travel lane of the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed overnight from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. on Friday, July 6.

ADDED/UPDATED AGAIN – Friday, July 6 exit closure: The Admiral Way exit from the high-rise bridge will be closed **6 am-9 am** for installation of a temperature sensor.

Friday, July 6 – Sunday, July 8

· The westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed all weekend, beginning Friday evening, July 6, at 10 p.m. until Monday morning, July 9, at 5 a.m. The SR 99 off-ramp to West Seattle will remain open, providing an opportunity to avoid the closure. The links below lead to information regarding other detour routes.

Tomorrow we’ll put together the now-traditional melded list of these closures and Highway 99 closures – but we haven’t seen an official list of the latter yet, beyond the plan for closing the southbound 99/AWV overnight tonight AND from 11 pm Friday night until 9 am Sunday morning.

P.S. The surface closure that was scheduled to continue till tomorrow morning, eastbound S. Spokane between 4th and 6th, is over – it reopened this evening, ahead of schedule.

chas redmond June 28, 2012 (7:47 pm)

Could you ask SDOT to add what the purpose of these closures is and what the benefit will be when the roadway opens again. I’m stunned that no one has asked this yet and even more stunned that SDOT doesn’t think telling us why the roadway will be closed is important and what the incremental improvements will be. WSDOT tells us why they are closing the Viaduct whenever that occurs.

WSB June 28, 2012 (8:10 pm)

Well, no need to be stunned. I will ask project spokesperson Paul for exact specifics of that weekend’s closure, but in general, it’s the work that we reported during a tour of the work zone a few weeks back:
https://westseattleblog.com/2012/06/spokane-street-viaduct-widening-project-touring-the-work-zone
.
they have to shut down to work on surfacing, resurfacing, the permanent barrier alignment, etc. … also, the new 1st Avenue onramp on the westbound side is supposed to be open for emergency vehicles any day now, which is a good thing considering Ladder 13 is about to be decommissioned…
.
and FWIW the Alaskan Way Viaduct closures are never explained lately any more specifically than (paraphrasing) “continuing to reinforce the area over where the tunneling will be done.”

Jeff June 28, 2012 (8:30 pm)

I saw a sign up (I think yesterday) on westbound SSV at the 1st ave entrance saying “emergency vehicles entering”. I assumed that meant it was already in use.

WSB June 28, 2012 (8:37 pm)

Thanks, Jeff. I’m likely to be traveling that stretch tonight and will take a look.

Jay June 28, 2012 (8:40 pm)

I noticed that sign tuesday evening, yes.

sam-c June 29, 2012 (8:23 am)

hmm… I wonder if that means a smaller crowd for the seafair pirate landing. maybe I might acutally go this year.

John June 29, 2012 (9:06 am)

Was coming over the bridge last night and thought I saw a sign saying the Admiral exit would be closed one night next week and that Delridge would be the alternate route. Any word on that?

WSB June 29, 2012 (9:07 am)

I saw that sign too and it went through a sequence so long I didn’t catch it all. It seemed related to this – but we’ll add that to today’s checking … TR
- WSB June 29, 2012 (9:37 am)
  
  And an answer to Chas’s question, regarding the specific reason for the westbound weekendlong closure next weekend (not this wknd), from project manager Stuart Goldsmith via project spokesperson Paul Elliott:
  .
  “A critical expansion joint at east end of project has to be replaced across all the WB lanes, which triggers the closure. During that same weekend also will continue hydro-demolition of old deck at west end of project and continue with permanent median installation.”

Rory June 29, 2012 (9:55 am)

Something you WS’ites may not be aware of, but is likely to impact you. SDOT has decided to dedicate the southbound lane of Highway 99, from the Dexter Exit to Mercer Street, exclusively to transit and cars turning right to east Queen Anne and Seattle Center area.

That means southbound Aurora between the bridge and downtown will be reduced to two lanes. 24 hours a day! Another brilliant move by the clueless.

Here’s the SDOT release:
(http://tinyurl.com/7xbvxdx)

“To help move more people through the area during upcoming construction, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will convert the southbound curb lane of Aurora Avenue North, just south of the Aurora Bridge, into a Business Access and Transit (BAT) lane. Serving one of the busiest transit corridors in Seattle, the lane will start south of the Dexter Avenue off-ramp and continue south to Mercer Street. Crews plan to perform the lane re-striping June 24 and it will go into service after the morning commute on June 25.

“The new BAT lane will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week, reserving the lane for buses and for any vehicle making a right turn.”

Chivahn June 29, 2012 (10:02 am)

I take 99 into WS from Fremont every day and the signs north of the Battery Street Tunnel were saying that the Alaskan Way Viaduct will be closed all weekend again?

WSB June 29, 2012 (10:07 am)

The southbound Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed from 11 pm tonight until early Sunday morning. It’s in the “This Week’s Closures” list on the right sidebar and we will be mentioning it again in the daily “preview” story which I’m muddling through right now! – Tracy

Joanne July 6, 2012 (6:45 am)

I don’t see anything that says how to leave West Seattle. How do you get to I-90?

WSB July 6, 2012 (6:47 am)

There are no closures that will impede you from getting to I-90 … it’s the westbound Spokane St. Viaduct that’s closing, not eastbound.

Sorry, comment time is over.