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Traffic is going to be horrible in Seattle this weekend

Brace yourself for closures, road work, and events around Seattle this weekend.
Credit: Thinkstock

Several road closures are slated for this weekend.

Seattle viaduct

First, all southbound lanes of State Route 99 through Seattle will be closed for part of the weekend due to roadwork.

Southbound lanes will be closed from the West Seattle Bridge to the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel. The closure will begin 9 p.m. Friday and end at around 6 a.m. Saturday. The Western Avenue off-ramp near the Battery Street Tunnel will remain open.

WSDOT said the closure is so crews can do critical work that must be done before the SR 99 tunnel can open to traffic later this year.

Interstate 90

In addition to this, all but two lanes on eastbound I-90 near the Mount Baker tunnel will be closed from 7 p.m. Friday until noon on Sunday. Crews will be replacing old drainage covers with new ones that are able to withstand the weight of vehicles.

The Washington State Department of Transit says that both the north and southbound on-ramps to I-90 at Rainer Avenue South will be closed from 8 p.m. Friday until 8 a.m. Saturday, and will close again from 7 p.m. Saturday until 9 p.m. Sunday.

Spokane Street Swing Bridge

West Seattle will also be experiencing backups. The lower Spokane Street Swing Bridge was closed Wednesday after an inspection uncovered a hydraulic fluid leak. If unnoticed, the leak could have caused structural damage to the bridge, which would have led to more extensive repairs.

The bridge will be closed to all vehicle, bike, and pedestrian traffic for a week or more while emergency repairs are underway.

Highway 2 trestle work postponed

All westbound lanes of the Hewitt Avenue trestle were scheduled to be closed this weekend, but that work has been postponed.

The US 2 portion between the State Route 204 interchange and the on-ramp from Homeacres Road will be closed next weekend, June 29 - July 2.

Crews will remove old and damaged pavement on the road and conduct repairs. Pavement on the trestle is 16 years old and is only rated for a lifespan of 12 to 15 years, according to WSDOT.

Seattle events and festivals

On top of all these closures, a couple events are taking place in Seattle, each expecting a large attendance.

On Saturday the Seattle Sounders will be playing the Chicago Fire at CenturyLink Field. The match will start at 7 p.m.

The Seattle Pride Parade will be taking place on Sunday at 11 a.m. kicking off at 4th Avenue and Union Street and ending at Second Avenue and Denny Way near the Seattle Center. The parade is expected to last several hours.

Both of these events expect large crowds and an increase in traffic. These events, in addition to the various closures in and around Seattle, are expected to cause long delays on the road this weekend.

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