SEATTLE — It’s going to be a rough weekend on roads across western Washington.Major closures will hit Interstate 405, State Route 520, Interstate 5, and parts of Snohomish County.Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) officials say critical construction work is underway now before projects pause for the upcoming World Cup matches in Seattle, starting next month.Travelers should leave early, expect delays, plan alternate routes, or take public transportation.The biggest headaches are expe...
SEATTLE — It’s going to be a rough weekend on roads across western Washington.
Major closures will hit Interstate 405, State Route 520, Interstate 5, and parts of Snohomish County.
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) officials say critical construction work is underway now before projects pause for the upcoming World Cup matches in Seattle, starting next month.
Travelers should leave early, expect delays, plan alternate routes, or take public transportation.
The biggest headaches are expected to be on southbound I-405 through Kirkland and eastbound SR 520 in Seattle.
Southbound I-405 will fully close between NE 116th and NE 85th starting Friday night for fish passage construction tied to the NE 85th Interchange Project.
"I think it's horrendous," exclaimed Maria Anderson, who battled backups to run errands in Kirkland Saturday.
The highway closure has forced miles of backups both on I-405 and on side streets surrounding the detour routes. Some cars were seen illegally turning over highway shoulders to bail out of traffic.
"Even if they have to do it on a weekend, maybe they could do it at night, late at night?" Jason Rashkan questioned. "But this is like the craziest time!"
RELATED | I-5 Ship Canal Bridge lanes to fully reopen for 5 weeks during World Cup
Meanwhile, eastbound SR 520 between I-5 and Montlake Boulevard shuts down all weekend as crews rebuild and shift the Montlake exit ramp for future highway construction. Prepare for backups near Husky Stadium.
Drivers in Lynnwood should expect overnight closures on southbound State Route 525 near Alderwood Mall Parkway next week for paving work.
In Stanwood, overnight lane reductions on northbound I-5 continue for weigh station maintenance.
"There's a lot more weekend traffic than there used to be," said Brian Mogridge.
Drivers have been dealing with months of construction on I-5 through Seattle for Revive I-5, but the work zone near the Ship Canal Bridge will fully reopen from June 8 through July 10 as Seattle prepares for FIFA World Cup events.
That means all lanes will be back open for about five weeks.
After the World Cup, another full northbound closure is scheduled for the weekend of July 10 to reestablish the work zone.
WSDOT crews will then shift construction from the two left lanes to the two right lanes of northbound I-5 for the remainder of 2026.