SEATTLE — Road crews are working on drains and expansion joints, part of the first major preservation work on Seattle’s Ship Canal Bridge in more than 40 years.
With this work, northbound I-5 is being reduced to two lanes across the bridge for the next four weeks, until August 15.
And during that time, I-5 express lanes are only running northbound 24/7.
Drivers going south paid the price on Monday during the first commute since the closure, unable to use the express lanes.
Dylan Marchand says a normally 5-minute commute to work in Northgate took nearly half an hour.
“I got on the highway and I forgot they’re totally shut down,” said Marchand.
Many were caught off-guard by the gridlock, despite previous alerts from WSDOT.
The agency saying the bridge work must get done, so drivers will have to adjust.
“Anytime we make a change like this, it takes them a little bit of time to adapt, but generally they do. They find alternatives – a they think about taking other routes, they carpool, they’ll take transit,” said WSDOT spokesperson Tom Pearce.
Coming south out of Snohomish County, the backups only got worse with delays up to an hour from Lynnwood.
“The downtown traffic is always terrible. I took the light rail and I’m so thankful for it,” said Kim Wilkowski, a Lynnwood resident.
The closure’s also leading to more congestion on side streets.
WSDOT is urging drivers to pay attention to detour signs and follow updates on social media.
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