As a couple of beloved sports teams take the field, contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will hit the pavement for a weekend chock-full of important roadwork. Preservation work on Interstate 5 in Seattle will occur at the same time as projects in the Montlake area from Friday night, Sept. 10, to Monday morning, Sept. 13.

SEATTLE – Pack extra patience if your Labor Day weekend travel plans include a Washington State Ferries ride. In addition to the usual long vehicle boarding lines surrounding holiday weekends, riders should be prepared for the possibility of disrupted sailings due to COVID-19 cases and quarantines among crew and the global shortage of mariners.

BELLINGHAM – Travelers on southbound Interstate 5 in Bellingham should plan to use alternate routes – including a signed detour – and allow for extra time during overnight full closures on Sunday, Aug. 29, and Monday, Aug. 30. Southbound I-5 will be closed between Meridian Street/Bellis Fair Mail Parkway and Sunset Drive both nights.

Plan ahead for heavy Labor Day holiday weekend travel, use WSDOT tips to help prepare

Community members can learn more about improvement plans at the SR 702 and Eighth Avenue South intersection east of McKenna during an online open house Tuesday, Aug. 24 to Tuesday, Sept. 7.

Crews will break ground as early as next week on a project that will extend State Route 520’s new transit/high occupancy vehicle system to Interstate 5 in Seattle.

People who travel along State Route 507 will need to prepare for detours and periodic single-lane closures through Centralia in Lewis County until October 2021. Beginning Monday, Aug. 23, contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will begin pedestrian accessibility work that will improve sidewalks, curb ramps and intersections on SR 507/Mellen Street corridor.

The Washington State Department of Transportation will host a virtual public meeting with the I-405/SR 167 Corridor Program Executive Advisory Group.

GLACIER – As of today, Tuesday, August 17, the temporary repairs have been completed to the crumbling wall that forced an early closure of State Route 542/Mount Baker Highway late last fall. The final 1.8 mile stretch of SR 542-Mount Baker Highway to Artist Point is now fully reopened to non-oversized vehicles.

Thursday, Aug. 19, contractor crews working for WSDOT will begin clearing the old roadway to create a temporary bypass for southbound SR 169 traffic. When southbound traffic begins using the bypass in late September, workers will build the southbound lane of a new bridge over Ravensdale Creek.

People who travel along State Route 508 near Onalaska in Lewis County can soon say goodbye to uneven, rough roadway conditions. On Monday, Aug. 16, contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation began work to install a drainage system within the ditch, which will remove excess water from the highway and improve the stability of the road.

Harvard Road over I-90 in Liberty Lake set to close for 14 days to repair and repave bridge deck.

Beginning Aug. 23, an extended closure of the Port of Tacoma Road on-ramp to southbound Interstate 5 means travelers will need to plan for increased travel times.

SEATTLE – Today, Friday, Aug. 13, crews placed the final 15-ton pre-cast concrete panel on the new trestle at Colman Dock, providing a second route for drivers exiting vessels from Bremerton or Bainbridge Island. This exit has been closed since October 2020, requiring all vehicles to use a single exit at Yesler Street. Re-opening the Marion Street exit this fall will greatly improve operations at Colman Dock, while construction continues toward project completion in 2023.

People traveling along the scenic US 97 highway this summer should plan for additional time in their trips as work to resurface the road gets underway.

Repairs will soon be underway on a slide-prone section of US 101 between Aberdeen and Raymond. By spring 2022, two-way travel restored once again to the popular freight corridor.

On Saturday morning, July 31, the Washington State Department of Transportation will open a new 4.5-mile-long southbound HOV lane between Gravelly Lake Drive in Lakewood and ends south of 41st Division Drive near Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Work is beginning on the last of 30 projects in the Alaskan Way Viaduct Program. This work occurs near the SR 99 tunnel's south portal, rebuilding streets, building pedestrian and bike friendly plazas and paths and building a new garage to house maintenance vehicles for the SR 99 tunnel.

U.S. Coast Guard authorizes emergency use of Keller Ferry during fire response

People can now learn more about and comment on an environmental assessment for a project to replace the US 101 Elwha River Bridge near Port Angeles.