Construction continues to move forward on the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project, with project completion still projected to be late this summer. Work began in mid-April to repair and resurface the road deck of the old viaduct structure. This required the temporary shift of eastbound traffic onto the new adjacent viaduct structure in order to provide access to the old road deck to make the repairs.
The Fourth Avenue off-ramp was closed for the first phase of this repair work. It will reopen in mid to late May, at which point the First Avenue S off-ramp will instead be closed. The road repairs and resurfacing are not expected to be finished until the project is nearly complete, at which time eastbound traffic will be returned to the then refurbished old structure. Until that time ramp closures may shift but one or both will remain open throughout the work.
In addition, the repair work has required the contractor to restrict access from the eastbound on-ramp from Harbor Island. Access from the ramp onto the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct will remain closed until this work is completed in the late summer. Until that time, the on-ramp will only provide access to motorists heading northbound on SR 99. Those motorists who would normally take this ramp to reach the I-5 ramps from the Spokane Street Viaduct can instead continue eastbound on the surface Spokane Street to Sixth Avenue S, at which point motorists can access either northbound or southbound I-5, or Columbian Way S.
Other Project Related Traffic Impacts:
Through Friday, April 27
•The northern half of the East Marginal Way S and S Spokane St intersection is partially closed for paving activities. Work has progressed sufficiently that the northbound lane has reopened to traffic, although northbound traffic wishing to turn west at S Spokane Street (to access Harbor Island or West Seattle) will continue to be detoured to an adjacent roadway to execute a U-turn until the repaving is complete. Southbound traffic will take a short detour to the west before returning to southbound East Marginal Way S. Eastbound lower S Spokane St remains open to traffic.
Monday, April 30
•The north half of the intersection of Sixth Avenue S and S Spokane Street will be closed for paving Monday night. The closure will begin at 9 p.m. and run until 5 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Northbound traffic on Sixth Avenue S will be detoured to Airport Way S. Southbound traffic on Sixth Avenue will be detoured at S Lander Street to Fourth Avenue S. Motorists wishing to access the I-5 on-ramps during the closure can only do so from the northbound lanes of Sixth Avenue S or eastbound on S Spokane Street.
The off-ramps from I-5 will remain open, although motorists using these ramps will be forced to head southbound on Sixth Avenue. (Motorists wishing to head northbound can go south to Industrial Way to turn to reach either Airport Way S or Fourth Avenue S for their northbound trip.)
Detour signs will be posted to direct motorists.
•Crews will perform rolling lane closures for inspection work on the Fauntleroy Expressway beginning in the westbound direction at 8 a.m. They will move to the eastbound direction after the morning peak commute, around 10 a.m. No lane will be closed more than 15 minutes. This work is part of an adjacent project, the Fauntleroy Expressway Seismic Retrofit.
Wednesday, May 2
•One westbound lane of the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed in the early morning hours from 1 a.m. until 5 a.m. to allow for a concrete pour. One lane of traffic will be maintained.
