Driving anywhere this weekend? Maybe don’t: WSDOT Traffic Advisory for June 24-26

Presidential motorcade and special events traffic this weekend, June 24-26
You may want to factor in some extra travel time if you’ll be hitting the roads this weekend. President Obama is scheduled to be in the Puget Sound area Friday afternoon, June 24, through Saturday, June 25. As with all visits by heads of state, drivers can expect significant delays and closures on state highways and surrounding streets. The Secret Service doesn’t release information about travel plans much ahead of time so your best bet is to stay connected with local media and follow @wsdot_traffic on Twitter. We’re limited in the amount of information we can put out but we’ll do the best we can to let drivers know what is closed and where to avoid.

There will also be several large special events this weekend, some with road closures:

Friday, June 24

• Seattle Mariners vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 7:10 p.m., Safeco Field

Saturday, June 25

• Greenwood Car Show, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Greenwood Avenue North
• Seattle Sounders FC vs. New York City FC, 2 p.m., CenturyLink Field
• Seattle Mariners vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 7:10 p.m., Safeco Field

Sunday, June 26

• Seattle Pride Parade, 11 a.m., Denny Way and 4th Avenue
• Seattle PrideFest, noon to 8 p.m., Seattle Center
• Seattle Mariners vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 1:10 p.m., Safeco Field

Full closure of MLK Jr. Way South/SR 900 in Tukwila this weekend, June 24-27
But wait, there’s more! Don’t forget that both directions of Martin Luther King Junior Way South/SR 900 between I-5 and South 129th Street will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday, June 24, to 5 a.m. Monday, June 27. The southbound I-5 off-ramp to MLK Jr. Way South/SR 900 will also be closed. Drivers will follow a signed detour. Crews will be replacing more than 1,500 feet of the road with a new gravel base and brand new asphalt. There will also be overnight directional closures in the same area through early next week. We’ve got the details on our King County Construction page. Check out the detour routes if you need to get in or out of the area.

Eastbound I-90 off-ramps in Bellevue closed again this weekend, June 25-26
Just like two weekends ago, the eastbound I-90 general purpose and HOV off-ramps to Bellevue Way Southeast will be closed from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 25 and 26, for Puget Sound Energy work. One lane in both directions of Bellevue Way Southeast at I-90 will also be closed. A signed detour will be in place. Drivers should plan ahead for a third weekend of these same closures July 9-10.

Construction and increased traffic equals delays on I-90 east of Snoqualmie Pass
We’re in the middle of one of the busiest construction seasons on I-90 with close to a dozen work zones from the summit of Snoqualmie Pass to Vantage. Due to a number of events taking place in eastern Washington this weekend, June 24-27, drivers are encouraged to either get to their destinations early, wait to go later, or use an alternate route.

• Starting today, June 23, drivers will see delays in both directions near the Cle Elum area (mileposts 84 to 93) due to a paving project. Drivers are encouraged to use an alternate route via US 97 to SR 10.
• The Vantage Bridge is still down to a single lane eastbound due to a painting project. Drivers headed east will experience heavy congestion and stop and go traffic between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. and should consider taking an alternate route via US 97, I-82 or SR 24.
• Rock blasting is scheduled to close I-90 east of Snoqualmie Pass in both directions from mileposts 56 to 62 for an hour at 8 p.m. tonight, June 23.

More overnight ramp closures at the I-5/I-90 interchange in Seattle
For the past few weeks, contractor crews with the I-90 Two-Way Transit and HOV Operations project have been retrofitting the pavement on ramps at the I-5/I-90 interchange in Seattle. They’re nearly complete, but need a few more closures next week. The southbound I-5 ramp to eastbound I-90 will be closed from 11 tonight to 5 a.m. tomorrow, and again overnight Monday through Wednesday next week. The westbound I-90 ramp to northbound I-5 will be closed from 10 p.m. Monday, June 27, to 5 a.m. Tuesday, June 28. A signed detour will be in place. Stay updated by checking our I-90 & SR 520 page.

Two weeks to start of SB I-5 weekend lane reductions, #SouthKingSlowdown
We’re just two weeks out from the first of five weekends of lane reductions on southbound I-5 near Southcenter. Starting at 8 p.m. Friday, July 8, we’re going to reduce the interstate from five lanes to two at 188th Street in SeaTac. That will last until 5 a.m. Monday. Traffic in the #SouthKingSlowdown is going to back up. How much? That depends on you, the driver. Learn more about the project, plan ahead and alternatives on our blog.