Two of the three southbound lanes on State Route 99/Aurora Avenue North are closed today until midnight. Washington State Department of Transportation crews are working to install a fence to deter suicides. This is the first of four Sunday closures to replace more than 1,000 rivets and bolts.
SEATTLE – Drivers heading to downtown Seattle this Sunday may want to think twice about how to get there. Crews working for WSDOT will close two of three southbound lanes on State Route 99 across the Aurora Bridge and the southbound Fremont Way N. on-ramp from 6 a.m. to midnight on Sunday, Aug. 15.
Four straight Sunday closures are critical to completing the fence project by the end of the year. Crews will use a tool called the Rivet Buster to do the job. The Rivet Buster is the fastest, safest and cleanest tool available, but it is also extremely noisy and can’t be used at night. WSDOT engineers looked at weekday and weekend traffic volumes and determined that four 16-hour-long Sunday closures would allow crews to get the work done with the lowest overall noise and traffic effects. Nearby residents can expect to hear the rat-a-tat of the Rivet Buster starting at 8 a.m. and continuing through 11 p.m. this Sunday.
WSDOT will run the I-5 express lanes in the southbound direction from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Sunday to give drivers a reliable route to downtown Seattle. Drivers can help keep traffic moving by:
- Using I-5 to travel to Downtown Seattle and further south. Visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle to check I-5 traffic conditions.
- Riding the bus or carpooling.
- Walking or riding your bike.
- Reducing, postponing or combining trips.
- Using southbound SR 99 early in the morning or late at night when traffic is typically lighter. Travelers can check SR 99 traffic conditions on the Seattle Department of Transportation website at web5.seattle.gov/travelers.
- Telling friends, family, neighbors and coworkers about the closures.
