Express lanes on I-5 now close at 8pm

Photo by T J  Guillory

By Diane Hettrick

During the protests of the last week, demonstrators often headed toward the freeway. When that happened, WSDOT would close the freeway. Sometimes it was both directions, sometimes just the express lanes. Sometimes all.

As soon as possible they would open the lanes so backed up traffic could get through.

They were sending out bulletins each time. Closed - now open - no closed - ok open. By the time I got to them, I'd have to line them up by time stamp to see if there was anything to report.

Now they have decided that the problem is the express lanes and they can solve that problem by closing the lanes at 8pm.

Here are the details:

WSDOT TRAVEL ALERT – I-5 Express Lanes

The I-5 Express Lanes will be fully closed early, at 8pm nightly, including weekends, and will reopen as usual the following mornings. This closure will remain in place until further notice.

Hours of Operation

Monday-Friday

• Southbound - 5am to 11am
• Northbound - 11:15am to 8pm
• Closed: 8pm to 5am

Saturday and Sunday

• Southbound - 8am to 1:30pm
• Northbound - 1:45pm to 8:00pm
• Closed: 8:00pm to 8am

For more information, Puget Sound area travelers can get real-time traffic information on their phone with the WSDOT traffic app, tracking the WSDOT Traffic Twitter feed and get advanced information from the Seattle Area Construction page.