Washington state drivers frustrated by months of lane reductions on Interstate 5 over the Ship Canal Bridge are about to get a temporary reprieve, as WSDOT prepares to reopen all northbound lanes for the duration of Seattle’s FIFA World Cup matches before resuming construction in the second half of the year.
All northbound lanes of I-5 at the Ship Canal Bridge will be fully open from 8 June through 10 July, coinciding with Seattle’s six World Cup matches at Lumen Field. The lane reductions have been in place since mid-January, when crews began the bridge’s first major preservation project in roughly four decades. The 60-year-old structure had accumulated more than 300 emergency repairs over the past five years, a figure that project leaders say made comprehensive intervention unavoidable.
Before the reopening can take place, a full northbound closure is scheduled from 10 p.m. on Friday, 5 June through 5 a.m. on Monday, 8 June, giving crews the weekend to clear the work zone and restore the bridge to full capacity. During the reopening period, the I-5 express lanes will return to their standard schedule, southbound in the mornings and northbound in the afternoons.
The timing of the break in construction was deliberate. “There is no major time to do this kind of preservation work,” said Messay Shiferaw, assistant regional administrator of construction for WSDOT, describing the I-5 disruption as affecting not just the freeway but the entire regional traffic network. The agency determined that fully reopening the bridge during one of the highest-traffic periods in Seattle’s recent history was the only responsible approach.
The work completed so far includes the removal of deteriorating concrete, major deck repairs, pouring of new modified concrete, drainage improvements designed to prevent future water infiltration, and the replacement of several expansion joints across the bridge deck. WSDOT said drivers have largely adapted to the lane reductions over the nearly six months they have been in place. Added delays on I-5, which exceeded an hour when the project first began in January, have since dropped to approximately 30 minutes as commuters shifted travel patterns, times, and routes.
“As drivers adapted and changed their travel patterns, switched to transit and other routes, those travel times did stabilise and come down,” said Mike Swires, assistant regional administrator of transportation operations for WSDOT.
The relief is temporary. After the World Cup concludes, another full northbound closure is planned for the weekend of 10 July so crews can re-establish the work zone. Construction will then shift from the two left lanes to the two right lanes of northbound I-5, where it is expected to continue for the remainder of 2026.
