(WSDOT photo, via Flickr)
Our day-by-day list of road closures for the week includes one this weekend for part of northbound 99 just north of the West Seattle Bridge. Today, WSDOT confirms it’s so they can get the new northbound Highway 99 bridge open by Monday morning – which means more room for vehicles on that section of 99. Here’s the official announcement:
This weekend the Washington State Department of Transportation will close another chapter in the replacement of the State Route 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct.
WSDOT crews will close a section of northbound SR 99 through SODO Friday night to put the finishing touches on the new highway that replaces the viaduct’s south end. Unlike the double-deck viaduct, this new section of SR 99 features twin, side-by-side bridges. By 5 a.m. Monday, Sept.17, northbound traffic will use the newly completed east-side bridge, while southbound traffic remains on the west-side bridge, which was completed in October 2011.
“In a little more than two years, our contractor’s team (Skanska USA Civil) tore down the viaduct’s southern mile and built a brand new Highway 99 in its place,” said state transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. “Accomplishing this feat ahead of schedule and on budget is a statement. It shows what we can achieve with clear direction, a solid management team and skilled contractors.”
Weekend closure details
· Northbound SR 99 will be closed between the West Seattle Bridge and South Royal Brougham Way from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.
· The left lane of southbound SR 99 will be closed between South Royal Brougham Way and the West Seattle Bridge from 11 p.m. Friday to 11 a.m. on Saturday.
· Huskies and Seahawks fans heading to Saturday and Sunday afternoon games at CenturyLink Field should plan for delays on routes to the stadium and consider leaving early and taking transit.
· Up-to-the-minute traffic information is available at www.wsdot.com/traffic/seattle and via WSDOT’s voice-activated driver information line, 5-1-1.
What drivers can expect when northbound SR 99 reopens
Currently, SR 99 is reduced to two lanes in each direction between South King and South Holgate streets. After this weekend’s closure, drivers can expect the following changes:
· Drivers on southbound SR 99 will travel in two lanes through a construction bypass from South King Street to just south of South Atlantic Street. At South Atlantic Street the road will widen to three lanes with shoulders.
· Northbound SR 99 traffic will use the newly completed lanes from the Starbucks building to just south of South Atlantic Street. This section will have three lanes, with the right lane reserved for buses. The bus lane will end south of South Atlantic Street, and the remaining two lanes will veer east along the construction bypass to South King Street.
· The construction bypass that moves traffic around the giant SR 99 tunnel construction site will remain until the tunnel opens in late 2015.
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