Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) just announced Conechella: “a weekend festival of construction.” Multiple highway closures will occur in the Puget Sound area starting this Friday night and continuing through Monday morning. If that doesn’t sound like your idea of a good time, we have all the info below so you can plan ahead to avoid traffic—including updates about a couple of closures that are now being postponed.
Read on for all the details.
The construction begins on the evening of Friday, August 22 and continues through the morning of Monday, August 25. There’s a lot of fun events happening in Seattle this weekend so you’ll want to be aware of the road closures if you’re planning any driving, particularly along SR 99. As WSDOT put it, “This is one festival to avoid stumbling into without checking the schedule first.”
The upcoming road closures in Seattle will be affecting SR 99. One has been postponed (see update below) but the other two closures will continue as planned. Here are the two Seattle road closures that are “headlining” this weekend, along with their creative band names:
- “The Aurora Tones.” In Seattle, the southbound SR 99 Aurora Bridge will have a two-lane reduction beginning 5:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 24. This is for annual bridge inspections.
- “SR 99 Inch Nails.” The southbound SR 99 tunnel will be closed in Seattle from 11:00 p.m. Sunday, August 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, August 25. Be sure to check for additional closures that may be needed.
Update: WSDOT planned to close two lanes on the northbound SR 99 First Avenue Bridge (the so-called “BridgeStreet Boys” headliner) on Saturday, August 23 from 5:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., but this construction work has been postponed.
The construction will also affect key corridors between Seattle and north Pierce County. There will be road closures in Kirkland, Renton, Tukwila, Fife, and Auburn this weekend. Drivers should watch out for additional closures, as WSDOT warns these are “the main acts” but not an exhaustive list. Note that the SR 18 westbound closure is being postponed.
Looking for ways to avoid the traffic this weekend? WSDOT is encouraging travelers to rely on public transportation. Failing that, be sure to check travel times before you head out and give yourself plenty of buffer room.
You can read about this weekend’s closures in more detail on the WSDOT website. Also the WSDOT blog has a helpful post about how to get to your destination while avoiding traffic this summer.