TRAFFIC REMINDER: Eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct closed until early Monday – and next weekend, too

With the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct – the eastern extension of the West Seattle Bridge between the 99 overpass and the I-5 interchange – closed all weekend, we’ve been getting reports of big backups on the bridge itself. So we’re reminding you again, if you have to head off-peninsula, you might consider an alternate route, like the First Avenue South Bridge, which can take you to 1st or 4th (and on into SODO from there) or to Michigan and on to I-5. The closure is part of the project to resurface the eastbound SSV – here again, from our story this past Tuesday, is the closure schedule for the next week-plus:

TUESDAY NIGHT (AUGUST 6) – one or two eastbound lanes closed, 7 pm-6 am

WEDNESDAY NIGHT (AUGUST 7) – full eastbound closure, 7 pm-6 am

THURSDAY NIGHT (AUGUST 8) – full eastbound closure, 7 pm-6 am

FRIDAY NIGHT TO MONDAY MORNING (AUGUST 9-12) – full eastbound closure, 10 pm Friday to 5 am Monday

In addition to overnight weeknight closures beyond that, the weekend-closure schedule announced earlier in July (and subject to change) includes:

10 PM Friday, August 16 to 5 AM Monday, August 19: All eastbound lanes and one westbound lane closed.
10 PM Friday, August 23 to 5 AM Monday, August 26: All eastbound lanes and one westbound lane closed.
10 PM Friday, August 30 to 5 AM Tuesday, September 2: All westbound lanes closed.

The westbound side – which is much newer than the eastbound side – is getting repairs, not full resurfacing, so that’s the reason for only one weekend closure. But keep in mind this all could change – we’re publishing updates when available as well as daily info in our weekday morning traffic roundups and weekend morning event lists.

CarDriver August 3, 2024 (5:56 pm)

WSB. Has SDOT or the contractor said if the warm dry weather we’re having will let them finish the project any sooner?

WSB August 3, 2024 (6:06 pm)

They are updating the schedule week by week. I believe they do work at this time of year COUNTING ON warm, dry weather.
- CarDriver August 3, 2024 (6:47 pm)
  
  I kinda figured that but hope springs eternal…………

Seattlesue August 3, 2024 (6:18 pm)

I hope they’ll assign a police officer to ticket those who decide to exit this mess by going westbound in the eastbound bus lanes. I saw one driver move over from the far left lane to back down the bus lane and a second driver who turned around to drive head first in the wrong direction. I hope these supremely entitled drivers did not injure anyone!

Gaslit August 3, 2024 (9:47 pm)

We can’t get police protection to prevent theft & violence in retail stores, removal of dangerous individuals on the streets and open illegal drug use. So, you think you’re getting a cop for this?

Admiral-2009 August 3, 2024 (7:18 pm)

Let’s see it’s Seafair weekend and the Mariners are playing at home, yup a great opportunity to close Spokane Street. Yes I get it that the work needs to get done but this weekend?

Frustrated in WS August 3, 2024 (7:53 pm)

I got stuck in this mess today as I headed to an event on Mercer Island. What normally takes me 15 minutes, took an hour. We were rerouted onto 99 past an event going on at the stadium. A big cluster to be sure. But what is most frustrating is how few workers there were on the bridge getting the work done when thousands and thousands of cars are getting rerouted. C”mon SDOT, you can do better than this…please.

Derp August 3, 2024 (9:26 pm)

We went across the first ave south bridge, then across michigan street to I-5. It was clear as a bell. Especially since they have been talking about the closures and detours for a couple weeks now. Not a chance I would even step a foot and the west Seattle bridge till that deck is complete. Why waste your time. Plus you dont know when they started working today, do you? Or just a rant cuz you messed up
- Kar August 4, 2024 (12:35 am)
  
  Hey Dep, Just curious did you go around to highland park drive or go under the bridge along the duwamish west marginal to get to 1st Ave bridge
  - Derp August 4, 2024 (9:13 am)
    1. It is Derp, but yes, like everyone did when the ws bridge was closed. Nothing different. I can’t understand WHY you would be on that bridge in the first place. People blaming the city for this confusion. I luv it.
    2. Don’t tell anyone it is a secret how to get out of ws
    - Daniel August 4, 2024 (9:53 am)
      
      Because people didn’t know. It’s not that complicated. Congrats on knowing it was closed. If you hadn’t known, you would’ve been on the bridge, see how that works?
    - Derp August 4, 2024 (11:54 am)
      
      No, I wouldn’t be on that bridge. I rarely take it as is it is anyway. You must have your head in the sand if you didn’t know. Come on people, it isn’t that hard.
bill August 3, 2024 (9:48 pm)

What did you expect to see from your air-conditioned car, a Cecil B DeMille epic scene of overseers whipping slaves trundling wheelbarrows of concrete onto the viaduct? It’s kind of miraculous materials exist that can take a beating from traffic just a few hours after being laid. Be thankful for that. After the surface is put down it has to cure. It don’t take 200 workers to watch paint dry.
- Kayk August 4, 2024 (8:07 am)
  
  LOL!

Daniel August 3, 2024 (9:12 pm)

Why the hell did the city not send a wide alert of this?? I had no idea the whole bridge was shut down. Awful experience getting routed thru downtown during mariners game when I wanted to go south

WSB August 3, 2024 (10:13 pm)

The whole bridge is not shut down. It’s the eastbound extension of the bridge between 99 and 5. The city did announce it, first word on July 23:
https://westseattleblog.com/2024/07/road-work-alert-dates-set-for-spokane-street-viaduct-repaving-closures/
city source from that day: https://sdotblog.seattle.gov/2024/07/23/south-spokane-street-viaduct-deck-repairs-and-paving-will-require-multiple-lane-closures-starting-july-29/
We’ve mentioned it every day since then. And regional news outlets have reported on it too (TV, Times). But if there’s a different way that you would have wanted to be alerted – maybe the AlertSeattle text system? – you can send feedback to SDOT at 684-road@seattle.gov – TR
Anne August 4, 2024 (8:03 am)

This closure alert has been all over the media-tv, newspaper, WS Blog DAILY. If you choose to be uninformed that’s on you.

ARS August 3, 2024 (11:52 pm)

Whose idea was it to start this project Seafair weekend? And did I miss detour signs earlier on Fauntleroy before getting on the bridge after which it was too late? I wanted to go south, signs routing SB traffic under the bridge (like we did for more than two years) would have been helpful.

Cyn August 4, 2024 (6:10 am)

Yes, the SDOT dropped the ball with detour signage. Yesterday, I headed south off the peninsula and would’ve taken Marginal if I saw signage on Fauntleroy. Could’ve been on less car in the fray. Grateful for this blog post, and will mark my calendar accordingly.

Joe Z August 4, 2024 (9:51 am)

As I sat on the 21 trying to get to the Mariners game in the bus lane that was full of cars, I was really wishing I was on a light rail train instead. Can’t come soon enough!

Derp August 4, 2024 (12:45 pm)

Or even the gondola, looking down on the traffic

J August 4, 2024 (4:17 pm)

Why was this not done during the two and a half year closure?

Fiwa Jcbbb August 4, 2024 (6:26 pm)

Agree that the long bridge closure would have been a great time for this work, but given SDOT’s love of signage…20 is Plenty signs planted beneath brand new 25 mph signs…how hard would it have been to give us a little warning that all traffic was being diverted to NB 99? Do they not have portable programmable reader boards anymore?

K August 4, 2024 (7:24 pm)

Remember a couple years back when people figured out how to hack those road signs? There was one on Delridge that read “Defund the Police” for a bit. I also saw “Abolish ICE” and “FIX THE ROAD F—” in Greenwood. Good times.

Sorry, comment time is over.