Drivers who frequent Seattle's SR 99 tunnel are due for a smoother ride, as the Washington State Department of Transportation embarks on a project to enhance the road's surface. Announced yesterday, the effort aims to improve vehicle traction with scheduled closures set to begin next Monday, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. The $1.5 million endeavor comes after the 2-mile tunnels, which see more than 47,000 vehicles daily, have experienced wear since opening in February 2019.
The technique known as "shot-blasting" will be used to roughen up the surface by propelling high-velocity particle grains. This process upgrades the surface's grip akin to the condition it had when the tunnel was new, more than six years ago. The job will require up to five nightly closures in both the northbound, and southbound tunnels and should complete by Labor Day weekend.
Northbound SR 99 lanes will be the first to shut down, starting next Monday, from 11 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. nightly, for a maximum of five nights. During the closures, drivers will need to seek alternative routes, with the Colorado Avenue South on-ramp also closing an hour prior each night at 10 p.m. After completing the northbound lanes, crews will begin texturizing the southbound lanes with similar closure schedules and detours in place, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Area commuters should prepare for detours, with guidance provided by signed routes directing traffic through city streets and along northbound and southbound Interstate 5. These closures are scheduled to avoid major disruptions, not beginning until two hours after Seattle Mariners games at T-Mobile Park or the culmination of Seattle Reign and Sounders games at Lumen Field.
