Starting Monday, March 9th, WSDOT will begin work on the portion of Aurora/99 between Valley St and the Aurora Bridge, resulting in approximately 12 weeks of lane closures that will impact traffic. Also, note that northbound Aurora will be closed to all traffic from 10pm Tuesday, March 10th to 6am, Wednesday, March 11th.
Here are the key details:
– Monday, March 9th: preliminary work
– Tuesday, March 10th: full overnight closure (10pm to 6am) of northbound 99 between the Battery Street Tunnel and Valley Street
– Wednesday, March 11th: 8 weeks of northbound lane closures and 12 weeks of southbound lane closures, details below:
Northbound SR 99/Aurora Avenue North
- One lane closed for approximately 8 weeks between Valley St and the Aurora Bridge
- Two lanes will remain open to traffic during peak travel times.
- Buses will travel and stop in the right lane with other vehicle traffic.
- An additional lane may close at night and during some weekend days.
Southbound SR 99/Aurora Avenue North
- One lane will be closed for approximately 12 weeks between the Aurora Bridge and Valley Street.
- Two lanes will remain open to traffic during peak travel times.
- The bus-only lane restriction will be lifted; buses will travel and stop in the right lane with other vehicle traffic.
- An additional lane may close at night and during some weekend days.
Per WSDOT, the long-term lane closures are expected to cause additional congestion and backups on Aurora, especially during peak commute times. Buses will travel and make stops in the outside lanes with other vehicle traffic. The southbound, bus-only lane will be open to all traffic during this work.
Plan ahead, leave early, and pack your patience.