TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Friday watch; weekend 99/Viaduct closures; the last big lift for ‘Bertha’

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
We start today with one big reminder – the Highway 99 closures this weekend (and westbound I-90, too). From the Battery Street Tunnel north, it’s an all-weekend closure, late tonight until early Monday; from the Battery Street Tunnel south to the West Seattle Bridge, the twice-yearly inspection closure is scheduled for 6 am-6 pm each day, Saturday and Sunday. Those closures plus the westbound I-90 lane closures are all detailed here; for bus reroutes, check Metro’s site. We’re on duty 24/7 so if there’s any change in the plan (early reopening, etc.) you’ll find out about it here.

Speaking of Highway 99:

We noticed while checking the “live” camera that that the big red frame that’ll lift the tunnel machine’s cutterhead has moved into place right over the access pit – looks like it happened in the 5 pm hour yesterday (we went back through the stored images to find the one above). No word yet, though, when that mega-lift is expected to happen.

12:56 PM UPDATE: WSDOT has since published an update about the aforementioned impending Big Lift.

David March 27, 2015 (8:10 am)

Kudos to the motorcycle officers patrolling on I-35 this morning.

metrognome March 27, 2015 (8:37 am)

the downtown transit tunnel will be undergoing maintenance this weekend, so there will be no Link service on Saturday or Sunday. There will be bus shuttles between Mt. Baker and Convention Place stations instead.

datamuse March 27, 2015 (1:43 pm)

And Emerald City Comic Con (estimated attendance: 80,000) is this weekend. This should be fun.

dominic April 5, 2015 (11:48 pm)

so they finally got to look at the bearings. can we see the pictures? what happens if it was not the bearings? engineers have insisted for 16 months that the bearings went out. now they can show us.

Sorry, comment time is over.