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People traveling to, through and around Seattle should plan for a weekend-long full closure of northbound Interstate 5 from Interstate 90 to Northeast 45th Street beginning Friday night, July 10, the Washington State Department of Transportation said. That night, on- and off-ramps along this section of northbound I-5 will begin closing at 9 p.m., with mainline northbound I-5 fully closed at 11:59 p.m.
During the mainline closure, the express lanes will remain northbound-only 24 hours a day. Two northbound lanes and all ramps will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, July 13.
When the mainline freeway reopens July 13, the two right lanes of northbound I-5 across the Ship Canal Bridge will remain closed until the end of 2026 and the express lanes will operate northbound-only 24 hours a day. People traveling on southbound I-5 should expect delays during the mornings when express lanes will not run southbound as they typically do.
Several on-ramps to mainline northbound I-5 will be closed Friday night, July 10, to 5 a.m. Monday, July 13, beginning at:
9 p.m.
- South Dearborn Street
- Cherry Street
- University Street
10 p.m.
- Westbound I-90
- Olive Way
- Mercer Street
11 p.m.
- Eastbound I-90
- Westbound State Route 520
The Harvard Avenue East on-ramp to mainline northbound I-5 will be closed beginning at 11 p.m. Friday, July 10, and remain closed until mid-October.
Mainline northbound I-5 off-ramps will be closed at 11:59 p.m. Friday, July 10, to 5 a.m. Monday, July 13, including:
- Seneca Street
- Olive Way
- Mercer Street
- Lakeview Boulevard East
- Eastbound SR 520
- Northeast 45th/Northeast 50th Street
Plan ahead to get to downtown Seattle
People traveling on northbound I-5 looking to go to downtown Seattle will have the option to take the Edgar Martinez Drive South exit as well as the South Dearborn, James or Madison Street exits during the weekend-long full closure. All downtown exits will open by 5 a.m. on Monday, July 13.
People traveling on northbound I-5 to destinations north of downtown can take eastbound I-90 to northbound I-405 or stay on I-5 left to use the express lanes. There are no northbound express lanes off-ramps to downtown Seattle. Additional express lane on-ramps are available at:
- Fifth Avenue/Columbia-Cherry Street (open to all during the full closure, HOV-only once mainline I-5 reopens)
- Ninth Avenue/ Pike-Pine Street (HOV-only)
- Howell Street/Eastlake Avenue East
- Mercer Street
The first exit on northbound express lanes is Northeast 42nd Street in the University District. Northbound express lane exits are at:
- Northeast 42nd Street
- Lake City Way Northeast
- First Avenue Northeast/Northeast 103rd Street
- Express lanes return to mainline I-5 at Northgate. There is no access to SR 520 from the express lanes.
Crews will use the full lane closure to set up the Revive I-5: Ship Canal Bridge Preservation project work zone in the northbound two right lanes of the bridge.
Through the end of 2026, crews will repair and resurface those lanes of the upper bridge deck, replace aging bridge expansion joints, improve drainage and address other maintenance issues.
People traveling are encouraged to find an alternate route, carpool, leave early or stay late, allow for more travel time or try a different travel mode like transit or bike.
Real-time travel information is available from the WSDOT mobile map and the WSDOT Travel Center Map. Stay informed about this project by signing up for email updates.
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