Construction triple-play this weekend will detour Seattle-area cars and transit (Tacoma: home, construction jobs)

[homesinseattle]

Article link here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...s-and-transit/

"Travel through Seattle and parts of the Eastside will be a hassle this weekend as construction jobs close the whole Highway 520 bridge and reduce southbound I-5 in Sodo to two lanes.

Then on Monday morning, Sound Transit will reduce its light-rail service in Rainier Valley to a train every 20 minutes for two weeks.

Weekend closures conflict with five sports events in Sodo, though the Washington State Department of Transportation says it will allow drivers to go from Edgar Martinez Drive South and I-90 into southbound I-5 for two hours postgame.

The scouting report:

All lanes of Highway 520 from I-5 across Lake Washington will close from 11 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday. Highway 520 contractors will set 28 more concrete girders over the freeway, to lengthen the future Montlake lid. This east edge of the lid will hold the future 24th Avenue East overpass, walk/bike paths, and roadside trees.
Another weekend of expansion joint replacements is scheduled for southbound I-5 through Sodo, shrinking capacity to two lanes near the stadiums. Lane reductions begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday. Cars will be funneled into the collector-distributor lanes, to the right of the downtown mainline, while the junction from I-90 into southbound I-5 will be closed most weekend hours.
Monday morning, Sound Transit’s north- and southbound 1 Line light-rail trains will take turns running on a single trackway near Columbia City Station, so trains will arrive only once every 20 minutes per direction. Damaged yellow tiles on the passenger boarding platforms will be replaced. The service cutback will last through Sunday, July 24, followed by more work in late August. That means fewer trains between Sodo and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. However, trains will run at normal 10-minute frequency between Stadium Station, downtown, and Northgate Station. Tile work, the first of five fixes called “Future Ready,” comes as ridership recovers from the pandemic, rising to 99,145 daily passengers as of May. Of those, 29,965 board trains south of Stadium Station and will feel the brunt of this month’s infrequent service. Travelers at Columbia City Station, where 2,400 people a day step aboard, must use the southbound platform to catch either north- or southbound trains.
Meanwhile, the exit from westbound Highway 520 to the Roanoke Street exit, which carries about 3,900 daily vehicles, will close until Sept. 1. The ramp and a retaining wall (that protect TOPS K-8 public school and fire station) are being rebuilt north of the existing exit. This will create more space for workers to build land connections to a new 520 Portage Bay bridge, said project spokesperson Steve Peer. In addition, WSDOT will build a new bus overpass from 520 into the I-5 express lanes by 2024.
On Rainier Avenue South, the Seattle Department of Transportation will convert some general traffic lanes to red bus-only lanes this weekend: northbound from South Alaska Street to South Walden Street, and southbound from South Oregon Street to South Edmunds Street. A few bus stops for busy Route 7 will be moved while lanes are repainted.
Sports events in Sodo will exacerbate traffic — especially Seattle Mariners home games against the Toronto Blue Jays, who attract thousands of fans visiting from Canada. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. Friday, 7:10 p.m. Saturday, and 1:10 p.m. Sunday.

The Sounders FC men’s soccer team hosts the Portland Timbers at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, followed by the OL Reign women’s soccer team playing against the Portland Thorns at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Sounder commuter trains will carry fans to and from the Sounders FC match Saturday and the Mariners game Sunday, offering an alternative to I-5 snarls. Check www.soundtransit.org for stations and schedules."

[jabogitlu]

West Seattle lower bridge is also stuck open, so bus routes from WS into the city will be tough.

[dav51lin]

its all year it seems and nothing improves