Sound Transit and WSDOT announce latest schedule and lane closures for ongoing Link light rail construction across I-5 at Boeing Access Road
Southbound I-5 will be completely closed for several nights beginning this Monday
Sound Transit continues its construction of a new light rail overpass across I-5 just south of the Boeing Access Road near Seattle’s southern border. Crews are employing a construction method and schedule that keeps the freeway open during the day, limiting lane closures and traffic impacts to nighttime hours.
Beginning this Monday, Jan. 15th the I-5 freeway southbound will be closed completely for several nights between midnight and 5:00 a.m. and a detour route will be utilized. All traffic on I-5 southbound will exit at Boeing Access Road (BAR), turn left onto BAR, and then turn right at MLK onto the I-5 southbound on-ramp. Motorists should expect delays and plan for extra time. Lanes will begin closing progressively at 8:00 p.m. with the full southbound freeway closure occurring at midnight. All lanes will reopen by 6:00 a.m.
This schedule is subject to change, especially for changing weather conditions. The most up-to-date schedule information will be posted HERE.
The construction utilizes pre-cast concrete segments in a balanced cantilever design, a method first used in the Puget Sound region last summer when Sound Transit built a light rail bridge crossing the Duwamish River. For the I-5 overpass two large bridge piers have been built, one on each side of the freeway just south of the existing Boeing Access Road overpass. Starting with the pier adjacent to southbound I-5, giant cranes are hanging the pre-cast segments one at a time on alternating sides to keep the structure in balance. Steel tensioning cables running through the segments keep them in place as the structure extends in each direction. After the structure is built over the southbound lanes of I-5, the structure over the northbound lanes will follow, and the two structures will connect above the freeway.
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Sound Transit’s regional network of express buses, commuter rail, light rail and transit facilities connects communities in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.