LYNNWOOD — A new series of I-5 nightly slowdowns to accommodate future light rail construction is set to begin Friday evening and continue into next week.
Earlier this week, Seattle City Light crews arranged for northbound and southbound stretches of I-5 between north Seattle and Lynnwood to be closed to relocate overhead power lines to support Sound Transit’s Lynnwood Link Extension project.
This time, a Sound Transit contractor will set up traffic controls and ramp closures on I-5 both northbound and southbound.
The slowdowns are just another reminder that Sound Transit light rail is on its way to Lynnwood with plans to be operating by 2024.
The closures will allow crews to restripe pavement and set concrete barriers.
“It’s basically to create more of a work area buffer, just moving the lanes over a bit, to make room for the construction to happen,” said John Gallagher, a Sound Transit spokesman.
Sound Transit officials are warning that drivers should expect delays and consider using alternative routes during construction.
Southbound work will affect the I-5 lanes and ramps from 44th Avenue W to 220th Street SW at different times Friday night and Saturday morning. Similar work will be done Monday and Tuesday with some slowdowns between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Those heading northbound from Seattle will face construction-related slowdowns from 175th Street in Shoreline to Highway 104 in Edmonds from Wednesday night to the following Wednesday. Expect rolling slowdowns between midnight and 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Real-time traffic information is available on the Washington State Department of Transportation’s mobile app and its traffic Twitter feed.
To clear space for the 8.5-mile Lynnwood Link Extension, Sound Transit also has been cutting down 5,300 trees along the future light rail path that hugs the interstate. The transit agency plans to replace them by replanting more than 20,000 trees.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
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