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The Washington State Department of Transportation is opening a westbound statewide route from Mercer Island to Seattle in hopes of easing some of the congestion experienced by travelers on both Interstate 90 and Interstate 405. All lanes of the Inter-Highway 90 bridge were closed.
WSDOT said the decision to close completely was made on Friday “due to the extreme traffic conditions caused by the closure of the I-90 main line on Mercer Island.”
As of Saturday afternoon, drivers coming from the East Side and Mercer Island must use the Interstate 405 or State Route 520 toll bridges if they need to travel west of Lake Washington.
West Mercer Way on-ramp to I-90, Bellevue Way Southeast direct access ramp to I-90, southbound I-405 direct access ramp to I-90, and westbound I-90 high occupancy lanes at I-405 interchange all Saturday It was closed by the WSDOT crew in the afternoon.
Bridge signs were also updated to read “WB I-90 Bridge Closed” and/or “No Access to Seattle”.
The westbound I-90 bridge from Mercer Island to Seattle will remain open to bicycles, emergency vehicles, and King County Metro vehicles.
WSDOT advises those heading to Seattle this weekend to allow extra travel time, especially for major events such as Washington Huskies and Seattle Seahawks games.
“Shutdowns during large events are not ideal, but they are inevitable in this case,” WSDOT Project Engineer Sean Wendt said earlier this week.
Sound Transit offers a special service to Seahawks games, adding routes from Lakewood or Everett to Lumenfield.
During the closure, WSDOT contractor crews are replacing a critical expansion joint that connects the Homer-Hadley Bridge to the west side of the island.
The bridge is expected to remain closed until 5 a.m. Monday.
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