Good news: WSDOT will NOT be closing a lane of southbound 99 again this weekend after all, only the Atlantic Street offramp, as work continues on the new Atlantic overpass. Here’s the announcement:

Crews working with the Washington State Department of Transportation will close the southbound State Route 99 off-ramp near Seattle’s stadiums this weekend to complete pile driving for the new South Atlantic Street overpass.

Thanks to hard work last weekend, contractor Atkinson Construction will not close a lane on southbound SR 99 as previously planned. Crews were able to drive 48 of 53 pilings last weekend. They will drive the remaining five pilings and finish welding on another 20 pilings while the ramp is closed this weekend.

Closure details
· At 4 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 22, crews will close the southbound SR 99 off-ramp to South Atlantic Street.

· Crews will reopen the ramp at 2:30 p.m. Sunday for fans heading to the Seahawks game at CenturyLink field. The ramp will be closed again at 5:30 p.m., 10 minutes after kickoff.

· The ramp will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday.

“We know that many Seahawks fans rely on the South Atlantic off-ramp to get to CenturyLink Field, so we worked with Atkinson to limit traffic disruptions before the game,” Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program Deputy Administrator Matt Preedy said.

Crews must close the ramp to safely complete work on the remaining pilings, which are located just west of the ramp. The pilings will serve as the foundation of a temporary structure that will support construction of the South Atlantic Street overpass until it can stand on its own.

The overpass is part of the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program. It will help move freight and daily commuters faster by eliminating long waits for trains at the rail crossing in front of the Port of Seattle terminal on South Atlantic Street.

Construction on the overpass started last summer and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2013.