The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) reminds travelers of the upcoming full weekend closures on both SR 99 and Mercer Street scheduled to occur this weekend, May 17-20, for the West Phase of the Mercer Corridor Project. The weekend closure of both SR 99 and Mercer Street will allow crews to complete traffic shifts on SR 99 and Mercer Street in preparation for demolishing the east half of the SR 99 bridge over Mercer Street and widening Mercer Street between 5th Avenue N and Dexter Avenue N.
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 85th Street or south of Seattle at E Marginal Way.
· Mercer Street will be fully closed to traffic between 5th Avenue N and Dexter Avenue N. Traffic heading east towards I-5 will be detoured to Denny Way at 5th Avenue N and will reconnect to Mercer Street at Dexter Avenue N to continue east.
· Sidewalks will be closed on both side of SR 99 between Thomas and Valley Streets and on the south side of Mercer Street between 5th 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 4th Avenue N and 9th Avenue N, and travelers should expect delays. To help alleviate traffic congestion on eastbound Mercer Street, eastbound Broad Street which has been closed since 2010 due to construction will re-open to traffic on Monday, May 20, as an alternate route for travelers heading to I-5. To improve access to Broad Street from west of SR 99, crews will make signal modifications at the intersections of 5th Avenue N and Harrison Street and Harrison Street and Broad Street to allow for southbound 5th Avenue N traffic to connect to eastbound Broad Street.
Due to the re-opening of Broad Street to two-way traffic, left turns from eastbound and westbound Mercer Street onto 9th Avenue N will be restricted in order to facilitate traffic flow on Mercer Street. Travelers heading north towards Westlake and Fremont should use Dexter Avenue N to reach their destinations.
Additional traffic revisions will include:
· Mercer Street will be reduced to two eastbound lanes between 4th Avenue N and 9th Avenue N.
· Local access will be maintained at Taylor Avenue N.
· The sidewalk on the north side of Mercer Street will be closed between 5th 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 for vehicles at: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/mercercorridor.htm.
Contact: Richard Sheridan, 206.684.8114
