Video: I-405 Bellevue closing for tunnel demolition

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BELLEVUE, Wash. – Think about changing your driving plans for the next three weekends if you want to take Interstate 405 through Bellevue.

The 36-year-old Wilburton Tunnel is being demolished to make way for a widening of I-405. That means shutting down the southbound lanes of the freeway for several hours at a time.

The Washington State Department of Transportation predicts the backups will be monstrous if drivers don't make different plans.

"The backups, my traffic experts tell me, could be as bad as 13 miles," said Stacy Trussler of WSDOT.

Here are some of the changes drivers can expect:

- Southbound I-405 will close from 11 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday Aug. 8-11, 15-18 and 22-25. The freeway will be shut down between Southeast 8th Street and I-90.

- Interstate 5 express lanes will always go southbound into Seattle during the I-405 closures. Expect a bottleneck for northbound traffic headed into Seattle in the afternoons.

- Interstate 90 express lanes will go eastbound all weekend across Lake Washington for carpools and Mercer Island traffic only. Mariners and Seahawks fans should expect delays coming from the eastside.

The tunnel was built in 1972 to support train tracks running above it.