Information on WSDOT's I-90 Emergency Lane Closure

UPDATE: March 18, 2024

WSDOT crews completed the temporary restriping in the early hours of Sunday, March 17. All four lanes have re-opened. The restriping will be in place until the 2025 summer construction season when crews will replace the expansion joint.

UPDATE: March 13, 2024

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has confirmed this weekend's closure for restriping work. 

WSDOT will close all lanes of eastbound I-90 between Seattle and Mercer Island starting this Friday, March 15 at 11pm, reopening Sunday, March 17 at 6am. 

The closure will allow WSDOT crews to restripe the affected section of eastbound I-90 at the East Channel Bridge, shrinking the lanes and shoulder, and re-opening the fourth lane around the failing expansion joint.

Islanders can use the East Mercer Way on-ramp to access eastbound I-90. The on-ramp will be reduced to one-lane to give crews room to safely work.

Plan ahead and be prepared for travel delays and congestion. Check I-90 traffic conditions via WSDOT's Real-Time Travel Map: https://wsdot.com/travel/real-time/

In January, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) closed the right-hand lane of eastbound I-90 over the East Channel Bridge due to a failing expansion joint. Since the emergency lane closure, WSDOT has worked toward temporary and permanent solutions for the affected section of highway.

The emergency single-lane closure implemented in January will continue to be in place as WSDOT contractors prepare the area for temporary lane restriping which will help alleviate congestion.

Temporary Solution: WSDOT identified a temporary solution to reopen the fourth lane at the East Channel Bridge. Crews will restripe all four lanes at that section of highway - slightly shrinking lane widths in order to reopen a fourth lane on I-90. This should help ease the increased congestion experienced from the current lane closure. The speed limit will be adjusted for safety in that section (down to 45mph) to account for the slimmer lanes and limited shoulder access. Once completed, this temporary restriping will be in place until summer 2025 when WSDOT can replace the failing expansion joint.

• Full Eastbound I-90 Closure Planned for March 8-10: WSDOT recently announced that they are targeting a full eastbound I-90 closure to complete the temporary restriping on the East Channel Bridge (where the failing expansion joint is located). This closure will allow the work to be completed quickly while helping prevent backups onto Island streets. While the restriping work requires several days of dry weather and temperatures above 40 degrees, WSDOT is targeting the weekend of March 8 to complete this work if weather allows.
• Full Eastbound I-90 Closure Planned for March 15-17: The closure originally slated for March 8 - 10 has been rescheduled to March 15-17 due to weather conditions. The closure will take place starting at 11:00pm Friday through 6:00am Sunday. This new date remains conditional on the weather. WSDOT is continuing to monitor conditions and will alert the City if conditions require another change.

The closure will start on the Seattle side with no cars coming across I-90 eastbound to the Island. This will prevent the rerouting of off-Island traffic onto Mercer Island streets. There will be an on-Island detour for Islanders needing to travel east: the only access point onto I-90 eastbound will be at the East Mercer Way I-90 on-ramp. Westbound I-90 and related on/off-ramps will operate as usual. 

Permanent Solution: WSDOT had identified that expansion joint for replacement on their 2027 work plan. Due to the urgency of the situation, WSDOT has moved up that replacement two years, to the summer construction season in 2025. This is a custom-built piece of infrastructure. WSDOT is in the planning stages for that replacement. 

For information on possible changes to public transit during the closure contact: 

King County Metro

• Customer Service: (206) 553-3000 and/or use Metro's Trip Planner: https://tripplanner.kingcounty.gov/
  • Metro's Trip Planner does take into account service changes due to construction.

Sound Transit

• Customer Service: (888) 889-6368 and/or use the Sound Transit Trip Planner https://www.soundtransit.org/tripplanner
  • Sound Transit Trip Planner also takes into account service changes due to construction.

Additional information:

• Why the emergency lane closure?
  WSDOT crews discovered that an expansion joint already slated for replacement in 2027 was failing faster than expected. They needed to shift traffic off of that joint for safety. This lane closure will allow for emergency lane restriping work – by restriping the lanes, WSDOT can restore four lanes of traffic to mitigate traffic as much as possible until the joint can be replaced.
• If it’s an emergency, why can’t it get done sooner?
  Well, the short answer is you can’t get an I-90 expansion joint at Home Depot! It’s a huge piece of infrastructure that must be engineered and custom built. There are considerable engineering and construction hurdles; WSDOT has reallocated resources to complete both the lane restriping and the joint replacement as soon as possible.
• Did the City know in advance?
  No. This was an emergency closure that evolved quickly. We were able to message this to the community beginning on Wednesday following our notification.
• What is WSDOT doing to get the word out?
  WSDOT is utilizing the I-90 electronic reader boards to alert drivers as they travel on the freeway and has contacted Waze, Google Maps, and Apple Maps to ask these services not to redirect traffic onto Mercer Island. They’ve also issued travel alerts through their RealTime Travel Map, on social media, and through local news stations.
• Is the HOV lane open to all vehicles?
  At this time, no. WSDOT did temporarily open the HOV lane during rush hour yesterday to help alleviate growing backups. We have requested WSDOT open the HOV on-ramp and lane to all vehicles.
• Can’t we improve congestion by turning off the ramp meters?
  It may seem counterintuitive, but WSDOT reports these meters actually help traffic flow in this situation by reducing speed increases and decreases as vehicles enter the freeway where the lane is closed.

We’re continuing to monitor this situation and relay updates to keep you informed. If possible, try to adjust your driving schedule over the next few weeks to avoid congested times and areas. We know it's a pain and appreciate your resilience as WSDOT completes this emergency work.