Tag Archives: west seattle

Columbian Way/I-5/West Seattle Bridge interchange repairs to force weekend closures

The West Seattle Blog reports that a new WSDOT project will start early next year which will affect Beacon Hill drivers traveling through the West Seattle Bridge/I-5/Columbian Way interchange. The project, “Spokane Street Interchange Vicinity – Special Bridge Repair,” is to replace deteriorating expansion joints on the interchange. Some weekend ramp closures will be required to complete the work.

Closures will begin the weekend of January 4-7 and continue into April. See the closure schedule and detour maps here.

The ramps to be worked on. Map courtesy of WSDOT.

Westbound Spokane Street Viaduct to close tonight

Going to West Seattle late tonight? It will be a bit more complicated than usual. The Seattle Department of Transportation is closing the westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct between I-5 and SR99 from 10 p.m. tonight, Thursday, October 20, until 5 a.m. tomorrow morning, October 21, to test techniques for preparing old deck for new paving.

Traffic from Beacon Hill via Columbian Way will be detoured onto 6th Avenue South to a route leading to the lower-level Spokane Street swing bridge.

See more about the Spokane Street project here.

Also take note that October 21 at 7:30 p.m. is the beginning of the nine-day closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, which is likely to cause congestion in Sodo and downtown. See the Washington Department of Transportation website for more information about the closure and alternative routes.

We were curious about the exact process going on with the Viaduct replacement project, and found this interactive project simulation on the WSDOT website that explains it visually.

Fourth Avenue ramp from Spokane Street Viaduct to close January 22

Some big changes are coming as the Seattle Department of Transportation continues the process of widening and improving the South Spokane Street Viaduct (formerly known as the West Seattle Freeway).

The westbound off-ramp to Fourth Avenue South from Columbian Way/Beacon Hill is closing permanently on January 22. From that point on, drivers will need to take alternate routes to SoDo:

  • From southbound I-5, exit at South Forest Street (before the West Seattle Bridge exit). Turn right on Sixth Avenue South. Turn left on South Lander to access Fourth Avenue South.
  • From northbound I-5, take exit 163 for the West Seattle Bridge. At the fork, stay right to exit toward Spokane Street/Safeco Field/Qwest Field. Merge onto lower South Spokane Street. Continue until Sixth Avenue South and then follow the detour signs to Fourth Avenue South.
  • From South Columbian Way, head towards I-5. Follow signs for the West Seattle Bridge. Follow the signs for South Spokane Street/Sixth Avenue South then follow the detour signs to Fourth Avenue South.

In late 2011, a new ramp will open at First Avenue South to replace the Fourth Avenue ramp.

Some other changes are coming in the next few weeks. On January 22, westbound
South Spokane Street (lower roadway) will be closed between Sixth Avenue South and Fourth Avenue South. From January 22-24, the southbound I-5 off-ramp to the West Seattle Bridge will be closed at night. And sometime in February, westbound South Spokane Street (lower roadway) will be closed between Fourth Avenue South and East Marginal Way.

Later, in the spring, the ramp to the viaduct from First Avenue South will be closed and removed.

For more information about the project, complete with maps, see SDOT’s Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project page.