New I-5 lane opening in downtown Seattle (university, closing)

[homesinseattle]

Article link here: https://mynorthwest.com/3912636/new-...ntown-seattle/

“How do you add another lane onto northbound I-5 in downtown Seattle without a huge mega-project? You get creative and use what you have.

Northbound I-5 will have another full lane going into and through downtown Seattle, sometime over the next week or so. The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has spent the last two years moving a barrier and eking-out 1,500 feet to extend the exit lane at Seneca Street through where University Street joins the freeway.

Sometime over the next week, you will have the choice of exiting at Seneca or just going through. There will be three through lanes into downtown for the first time.

“We didn’t have to add on to the freeway to do this,” WSDOT’s Amy Moreno said. “We worked within our footprint. We just moved the barrier and created that extra capacity.”

This extra lane should really help the daily congestion into downtown.

But to put the finishing touches on this lane, and to continue with the other improvements in the same area, there are some big closures coming this week.

“We will be closing lanes on the main line one night, closing lanes in the [collector-distributor lanes] and going back and forth but really the two main full closures are going to be Tuesday night and Saturday night,” Moreno said.

Those two nights, only the northbound I-5 express lanes will be open. The mainline of I-5 will close around 9 p.m. The collector-distributor lanes will close at about midnight. There will be no direct access from I-90 to I-5 during those four hours.

“If you’re heading into downtown, get off at Edgar Martinez Drive,” Moreno said. “If you’re coming over from I-90, there is a detour route you need to take.”

[jabogitlu]

I do think this will help the flow of traffic some, but for those of us who exit at Seneca often ... boo. They took away our special traffic-free access into the lower CBD.

[04kL4nD]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

I do think this will help the flow of traffic some, but for those of us who exit at Seneca often ... boo. They took away our special traffic-free access into the lower CBD.

I guess?

I usually had my Google Maps try to send me over that way, as opposed to just going straight, but I eventually learned to ignored since half the time it would actually be slower.