There are several events coming up this weekend, but two on Saturday could delay motorists if they don’t plan ahead.

On Saturday, June 22, the Rock N Roll Marathon and Half Marathon will get under way at 7 a.m. and conclude at around 3 p.m. The course winds from the Seattle Center through the city, across Lake Washington, back on I-90’s express lanes and ends on center grounds.

With 20,000 participants following the 13- and 26-mile courses, streets will be closed and reopened as participants move along. Streets near the center, such as Mercer Street and Fifth Avenue, will be closed from midnight on Friday into the morning in preparation for the event. Additionally, the Alaskan Way Viaduct will be closed northbound from 5 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. From the morning into early afternoon, other key closures include the I-5 and I-90 ramps at Columbia, Dearborn and Rainier; the I-90 express lanes; Broad Street; the downtown core from Second Avenue to Fifth Avenue; Rainer Avenue S and Lake Washington Boulevard. Additional details with maps are available at: http://seattle.competitor.com .

To avoid combining with potential marathon traffic impacts, the ever-popular Fremont Solstice Parade will move its start time and officially kick off Seattle’s summer at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon. With streets closing at 2:30 p.m., some 22,000 people are expected to line the parade route which begins at N 36^th Street and Leary Way; moves eastbound on Leary to Fremont Place N; south and east on Fremont Place N to Fremont Avenue N; south on Fremont Avenue to N 34^th Street; east on 34^th to Stone Way N; south on Stone Way N to N Northlake Way; eastbound on Northlake Way to Gasworks Park where participants will disperse. For more details please see the Solstice event website at: http://fremontartscouncil.org .

Motorists should expect heavy traffic on streets surrounding both events. The Seattle Department of Transportation urges motorists to consider parking the car and taking one of the many alternate modes of transportation available – Metro Transit, the West Seattle Water Taxi, Sounder commuter train, Link light rail, car pool, bicycle or walk, if feasible.

Contact:  Peg Nielsen, SDOT, 206.684.8114

Karen Zaugg Black 206. 733.9810

Bike to Work Month wraps tomorrow with a huge gathering at Ballard’s Bergen Place and on adjacent streets. Coupled with the annual Ballard Summer Streets event, the party celebrates the month and encourages more people to bike and participate in healthy active transportation.  On Saturday, the Roosevelt Neighborhood Parade and the Eucharistic Adoration on Beacon Hill will cause rolling slowdowns on neighborhood streets. Later on Saturday, fans will be swarming to the Kenny Chesney No Shoes Nation Tour at CenturyLink Field.  On Sunday morning, the 20^th annual Komen Puget Sound Race for the Cure will impact to traffic as 13,500 participants fill the streets. The one – mile and 5 K race route will be closed to traffic for much of the morning.  Motorists should make their travel plans with these events in mind.

Please see the following schedule for all the details:

Friday, May 31
Bike to Work and Summer Streets Party:  3:30 – 7 p.m.
Bergen Place in Ballard
825 attending
Streets closed from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.: 22^nd Avenue NW in Ballard from NW Market Street to Ballard Avenue NW.  http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/summer_ballard.htm

Saturday, June 1
Roosevelt Neighborhood Parade:  2 – 4 p.m.
NE 68^th Street and 12^th Avenue NE and Roosevelt High parking lot
220 participants
Parade route: Starts at NE 68^th Street and  12^th Avenue NE; west on 68^th to Roosevelt Way NE; south on Roosevelt to NE 64^th Street; east on 64^th to 12^th Avenue NE; north on 12^th to NE 69^th Street; east on 69^th to 15^th Avenue NE; north on 15^th to NE 70^th Street; east on 70^th to 20^th Avenue NE; south on 20^th to NE 68^th Street; west on 68^th to 15^th Avenue NE; south on 15^th to NE 66^th Street; west on 66^th to 12^th Avenue NE; north on 12^th into the Roosevelt High School parking lot; Seattle Police will escort.  Motorists can expect a rolling slowdown as the parade makes its way along streets in the Roosevelt district.

Kenny Chesney concert at CenturyLink Field:  4 – 11 p.m.
CenturyLink Field
40,000
Motorists should anticipate congestion on the surrounding streets before and after the concert.

Eucharistic Adoration:  5 – 6 p.m.
Vietnamese Martyrs Parish (1230 E Fir Street)
1,500 participants
Procession route:  on streets around Vietnamese Martyrs Parish.  Seattle Police will escort.
Drivers can expect a rolling slowdown as the procession moves along the neighborhood streets.

Sunday, June 2
2013 Komen Puget Sound Race for the Cure:   Races start 8 and continue through 9 a.m.
Mercer Street and Third Avenue N (gathering site)
13,500 participants
5 K route:  Starts at Mercer Street and Third Avenue N moving east on Mercer to Fifth Avenue N; south on Fifth to Cedar Street; west on Cedar to Second Avenue; south on Second to Spring Street; makes a u-turn at Spring and heads north on Second to Thomas Street.
1 mile route:  Starts at Mercer Street and Third Avenue; moves east on Mercer to Fifth Avenue N; south on Fifth to Cedar Street; west on Cedar to Second Avenue; north on Second to Thomas Street.
Streets closed: Mercer Street from Third to Fifth Avenue N. from 6:30 – 11 a.m.  Fifth Avenue N, Cedar Street and Second Avenue from 7:30 – 11 a.m.  Participants are encouraged to travel via Metro Transit and the Sound Transit Link light rail to Westlake and then take the Monorail to the Seattle Center.  The Monorail will be running every ten minutes starting at 7 a.m.
http://www.komenpugetsound.org/komen-race-for-the-cure/

Note:  Major closures for construction work over the weekend
SR 520 from Montlake to I – 405 will be closed to traffic from 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.
S Jackson Street and 6^th Avenue S  partial intersection closure for First Hill Streetcar project – Sixth Avenue South will be closed to through traffic at South Jackson Street. Right turns will be permitted from north- and southbound Sixth Avenue to Jackson Street as well as from east – and westbound South Jackson Street to Sixth Avenue South.

Over the first two weekends of June, SDOT crews will install thermal plastic safety markings at driveways and streets that cross the cycle track on Linden Avenue N, between N 128th and N 145th streets. Streets may be temporarily closed but driveway access will be maintained at all times. Installation is scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (weather depending). These green-colored safety markings are designed to increase awareness and visibility of cyclists, and are part of the city’s overall effort to make cycling a comfortable part of everyday life.

In addition to the cycle track, over the next month crews will complete landscaping, and art work installation. Parking restrictions will be in place along the corridor as needed as work progresses.

The cycle track will be complete after this marking work is finished.  However, a private development at the intersection of Linden Ave N & N 141^st Street will be temporarily blocking the cycle track until early August; pedestrians, cyclists and motorists are advised to use caution while traveling through the work zone.

Construction began June 18, 2012, and the entire project is expected to be completed next month. For more information on the Linden Avenue North Complete Street Project, visit SDOT’s project website, http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/linden.htm or call the project hotline: 206-462-6350

Contact:  Marybeth Turner,206.684.8548

Later this summer, crews will remove the remaining shoring from the afterbay structure and you may experience additional vibration. Notice will be provided prior to this work.  Tunneling activities continue 24 hours a day, Monday through Saturday from the south shaft toward the north shaft in Ballard. Crews may work some Sundays.

Crews will not be working Memorial Day weekend (May 25-27).  King County urges drivers and bicyclists to continue to use caution near the site.

24-hour project hotline/Para más información*: 206-296-3848
(*Seleccione su idioma para solicitor hablar con un intéprete, este servicio es gratuito.) For more information on the Ballard Siphon Replacement Project, visit the project website at: www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Construction/Seattle/BallardSiphon View construction photos here: www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Construction/Seattle/BallardSiphon/PhotosSouth

Contact: Adair Muth , King County Wastewater Treatment Division, 206.263.7319

May 20, 2013

Beginning Tuesday, May 21, crews will remove the shoring installed for the afterbay structure construction on the south side of West Commodore Way. 

Crews expect to remove the majority of the shoring by Friday, May 24. Additional work to remove shoring may be required the week of May 27. Crews will not be working Memorial Day weekend (May 25-27).  

Tunneling activities continue 24 hours a day, Monday through Saturday from the south shaft toward the north shaft in Ballard. Crews may work some Sundays.

King County urges drivers and bicyclists to continue to use caution near the site.

What to expect at the south site:

• Noise and vibration beginning May 21; possible vibration the week of May 27 (no work May 25-27)

• Afterbay structure construction weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Tunneling activity on the project site involving equipment and trucks 24 hours a day, Monday through Saturday and some Sundays.

• Increased truck traffic around West Commodore Way

• Additional nighttime noise and lighting

24-hour project hotline/Para más información*: 206-296-3848
*Seleccione su idioma para solicitor hablar con un intéprete, este servicio es gratuito.

For more information on the Ballard Siphon Replacement Project, visit the project website at: www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Construction/Seattle/BallardSiphon

 Contact:  Peg Nielsen, 206.684.8114

Weekend work on SR 99 and Mercer Street: Friday, May 17, through Monday, May 20

SR 99 and Mercer Street will be fully closed to traffic beginning Friday, May 17, at 11:00 p.m. through Monday, May 20, at 5:00 a.m. During the closure:

• ·         SR 99 will be fully closed between Valley Street and the southern end of the Battery Street Tunnel. Traffic traveling through Seattle via SR 99 will be directed to I-5 north of Seattle at 85^th Street or south of Seattle at E Marginal Way.
• ·         Mercer Street will be fully closed to traffic between Fifth Avenue N and Dexter Avenue N. Traffic heading east towards I-5 will be detoured to Denny Way at Fifth Avenue N and will reconnect to Mercer Street at Dexter Avenue N to continue east.
• ·         Sidewalks will be closed on both sides of SR 99 between Thomas and Valley Streets and on the south side of Mercer Street between Fifth Avenue N and Dexter Avenue N.

Early warning signs will be available in advance of the SR 99 lane restrictions. Travelers can expect significant delays and should plan ahead and use alternate routes.

Major Mercer and SR 99 impacts beginning Monday, May 20; Broad Street re-opens to eastbound traffic

Following the full weekend closure of SR 99, lane restrictions on Mercer Street will remain in place between Fourth Avenue N and Ninth Avenue N, and travelers should expect delays. To help alleviate traffic congestion on eastbound Mercer Street, eastbound Broad Street will re-open to traffic on Monday, May 20, as an alternate route for travelers heading to I-5. 

Additional traffic revisions will include:

• ·         Mercer Street will be reduced to two eastbound lanes between Fourth Avenue N and Ninth Avenue N.
• ·         Local access will be maintained at Taylor Avenue N.
• ·         The sidewalk on the north side of Mercer Street will be closed between Fifth Avenue N and Dexter Avenue N. The sidewalk on the south side of Mercer Street will remain open.
• ·         SR 99 traffic will be shifted to the west side of the roadway between Valley and Harrison streets. Two lanes of SR 99 in each direction will remain open.
• ·         The northbound SR 99 off-ramp to Mercer Street will be permanently closed. A new signalized intersection at Republican Street and Dexter Avenue N will be available for northbound SR 99 traffic to reach South Lake Union. 

Detour information available for Mercer Street lane restrictions

A detour map illustrating Mercer Street lane restrictions and pedestrian detours beginning May 20  is available online: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/mercercorridor.htm.

For more details and traffic impacts, please see the following schedule of events and construction activities.

Friday, May 17
Norwegian 17^th of May Parade:  6 p.m. (start of parade)
Starts at 24^th Avenue NW and NW 62^nd Street
4,500 expected
Parade route: south on 24^th to NW Market St; east on Market to 22^nd Avenue NW; south on 22^nd to Ballard Avenue NW; participants disperse north and south on Ballard Avenue NW.
Parade staging from 4:30 – 6 p.m. on streets around Adams Elementary School located at 26^th Avenue NW and  NW 62^ndStreet.   Plan on street closures and find alternate routes.  22^nd Avenue NW will be closed from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. http://www.17thofmay.org/parade.html

Ballard Bike Street Party:  4 – 7 p.m.
22nd Avenue NW between Market Street and Ballard Avenue NW and Bergen Place Park
800 expected
Street closed from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. :  22^nd Avenue NW http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/summer_ballard.htm

Seattle Storm vs. Tulsa Preseason Game:  7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Key Arena
6,000 attending
Expect congestion on west side of the Seattle Center before and after the game.

Saturday, May 18                      
Seattle University School of Law Graduation:  6 a.m. – 11:59 p.m.
Key Arena, Seattle Center
6,000 attending
All day event; expect congestion on streets surrounding the center grounds.

Seattle’s Best 15K & 10K:  7:30 – 11 a.m.
Starts and ends at Gas Works Park
1,000 participants
Run/walk  route is counter clockwise around Lake Union, using sidewalks, bike trails and some streets going from Gas Works Park, then on the Lake Union Loop Trail and along the Ship Canal back to the park; Seattle Police will assist runners through major intersections; drivers should expect a rolling slowdown as runners make their way along the route.Please see http://www.seattle15k.com/ for route detail.

Celebration Birth of Buddha Parade: start time: 9 a.m.
Starts at Hing Hay Park (Maynard Avenue S and S King Street)
900 expected
Parade route: Starts at Maynard Avenue S and  S. King Street; heads north on King to 12^th Avenue S; north on 12^th to S Jackson Street; east on S Jackson Street to the Red Apple Supermarket parking lot at 23^rd Avenue S.; Seattle Police will escort. Expect traffic impacts along the parade route. from 7 – 11:30 a.m.

44^th Annual University District Street Fair:  10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
The Ave
25,000 expected per day
Streets closed from 2:30 a.m. on Saturday to 2:30 a.m. on Monday: University Way. NE between NE 50^th Street and NE Campus Parkway; NE 47^th Street, NE 43^rd Street, NE 42^nd Street, and NE 41^st Street between 15^th Avenue NE and Brooklyn Avenue NE; event hours Motorists should plan on congestion throughout the area.   http://udistrictstreetfair.org/

Seattle Sounders vs. FC Dallas:  7:30 – 9 p.m.
CenturyLink Field
38,000
Expect heavy traffic around the stadium before and after the match.

Sunday, May 19
Nordstrom Beat the Bridge 8K Run & Walk: 8:30 – 11 a.m.
Starts on Montlake Boulevard NE and NE Pacific – ends at Husky Stadium
11,500
Closed for Staging at 7:30 a.m.: Montlake Boulevard NE between NE 44^th Street and NE Pacific Street
8K route: Starts at Montlake Boulevard NE and NE Pacific; moves  south on Montlake across Montlake Bridge to E Roanoke Street; west on Roanoke to W Montlake Place E; south on W Montlake (Place)  to 19^th Avenue E; south on 19^th to E Lynn Street; west on Lynn to Boyer Avenue E; northwest on Boyer to Fuhrman Avenue E; northwest on Fuhrman to the University Bridge, north across bridge to Lincoln Way NE; east on Lincoln to Brooklyn Avenue NE; south on Brooklyn to NE Pacific Street; east on Pacific to NE Pacific Place; east on Pacific (Place) to Montlake Boulevard NE; north on Montlake to NE 44^th Street; u-turn and finish in Husky Stadium.   University Bridge goes up at about 8:50 a.m. and stays up for approximately 5 minutes.  http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/Walk-Blueprint/Chapter-JDRFNorthwest4700?pg=informational&fr_id=2215&type=fr_informational&sid=1082
Drivers planning trips through the Montlake area should plan ahead for the closure of the Montlake Bridge on Sunday morning. The off-ramp to Montlake from eastbound SR 520 will remain open, but drivers will be held back while runners pass through.

Franklin High School Art Festival:  7 a.m – 5 p.m.
S Mt. Baker Boulevard adjacent to Franklin High School
250 expected
Event will close eastbound S Mt. Baker Boulevard between 30^th Avenue S and 32^nd Avenue S from 7 a.m.  to 5 p.m.
Expect congestion on surrounding streets.

West Seattle 5K Run and  Walk:  9:20 a.m.
Down Alki Avenue and back
1,600 participants
Route: starts on Alki Avenue SW at 60^th Avenue SW; moves east on Alki to Anchor Park (1100 Alki Avenue SW), makes a u-turn and back to starting point at 60^th. http://westseattle5k.com/  Alki Avenue SW between 63^rd Avenue SW and 56^th Avenue SW will be closed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Motorists should anticipate congestion on surrounding streets.

Madrona Mayfair Parade:  9:30 a.m.  (approximately 15 minutes in length)
Children’s parade in the Madrona neighborhood;
500 participants
Parade route: Starts south on 34^th Avenue between Al Larkin Park (E Pike Street) to Madrona Park (E Spring Street); Seattle Police will escort. 
Motorists will encounter a rolling slowdown as parade moves along.

44^th Annual University District Street Fair:  10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
The Ave
25,000 expected per day
Streets closed from 2:30 a.m. on Saturday to 2:30 a.m. on Monday: University Way. NE between NE 50^th Street and NE Campus Parkway; NE 47^th Street, NE 43^rd Street, NE 42^nd Street, and NE 41^st Street between 15^th Avenue NE and Brooklyn Avenue NE; event hours Motorists should plan on congestion throughout the area http://udistrictstreetfair.org/

Summer Streets – West Seattle:  11 a.m.  – 5 p.m.
Alki Avenue SW from 56^th Avenue SW – 63^rd Avenue SW
1,525 expected
Alki Avenue SW between 63^rd Avenue SW and 56^th Avenue SW will be closed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. will be closed to traffic for the street party from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.  Motorists should expect congestion and plan on being detoured around the street party area.  The Water Taxi will continue to operate; Don Armeni Boat Ramp will be open.  http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/summer_alki.htm

West Seattle Bee Garden Parade: start time: 11:30a.m.
West Seattle Elementary School (31^st Avenue SW and SW Holly Street)
450 participants
Parade route: starts at West Seattle Elementary School at 31^st SW and SW Holly Street; heads north on 31st to Lanham Place SW; north on Lanham to SW Graham Street; east on Graham into High Point Commons Park; Seattle Police will escort. 
Event will close 31^st Avenue SW between SW Graham Bataan Place SW from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  http://www.westseattlebeegarden.com/events.html

Construction and Maintenance work to plan around:
May 16 – 24:   Eastbound N 80th Street closed between Greenwood Avenue N and Aurora Avenue N for concrete panel replacement.  Work is taking place Tuesdays through Saturdays.

May 17 – 20: Major construction on the Mercer West project begins.  SR99 and Mercer Street closed from 11p.m. Friday night to 5a.m. Monday morning.  The South Lake Union Streetcar system will also be closed for the weekend.
May 19 – 20: The Montlake Bridge will also be closed from 10 p.m. on Sunday until 5 a.m. on Monday for Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance work. http://wsdot.wa.gov/Northwest/King/Construction/KingCountyConstruction.htm

Contact:  Peg Nielsen, peg.nielsen@seattle.gov, 206.684.8114