Beginning on Sunday, July 5, and continuing through at least July 20, westbound traffic on Interstate 90 across Lake Washington will be narrowed from five lanes to two while crews replace the expansion joints on the westbound floating bridge.
The I-90 Homer Hadley Floating Bridge, which opened to traffic in 1989, carries the westbound lanes and center roadway. During the last 20 years, its expansion joints have continued to crack and deteriorate, requiring constant maintenance.
WSDOT warns all motorists that the resulting traffic delays could last an hour or more and stretch from Seattle to Issaquah. In addition to WSDOT’s warnings for motorists, here are a few points King County Metro Transit wants bus riders to keep in mind:
• Expect delays. Bus travel times are expected to be delayed because all vehicles will be using the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) express lanes across the lake entering Seattle. This restriction does not end until west side of the Mount Baker Tunnel is reached.
• WSDOT anticipates westbound delays will be most disruptive from 6-11 a.m. and 3-7 p.m., or when there are major events in Seattle such as Mariners games. Also, eastbound traffic in the afternoon is expected to be slower than normal because there will be no HOV lanes in that direction across the lake until the project is completed. The repair work could create related slowdowns on State Route 520, Interstate 405 and Interstate 5.
• Metro expects to add buses to maintain departure schedules on east-west routes across I-90. But bus travel times are expected to take longer than normal due to anticipated traffic delays and backups. Most buses serving the Eastside make multiple trips across the lake in a single day, and congestion on one leg of the trip will create ongoing delays for individual buses.
• Bus riders are encouraged to travel early in the commute if possible. Metro advises riders to use existing schedules to plan trips and leave plenty of time to reach your destination.
Bus passengers should be aware of other projects and events that could slow I-90 bus service from July 5-20. The City of Seattle continues repaving Second Avenue in the central business district; most of the I-90 routes travel on Second Avenue when leaving Seattle, and continue to experience delays downtown particularly during the afternoon commute.
