Seattle reopens I-5 lanes after 10-month bridge project

Commuters in Seattle gained back their usual route on Sunday night when the Washington State Department of Transportation reopened northbound lanes on Interstate 5. The opening ended a 10-month stretch of construction known as Revive I-5, which had forced drivers to take lengthy detours around the Ship Canal Bridge.

Crews completed the work two days earlier than planned. WSDOT had scheduled all northbound lanes between I-90 and Northeast 45th Street to close through the weekend. The early finish allowed traffic to flow before the Monday morning rush hour. A minor signal issue briefly delayed the reversal of I-5 express lanes, but officials resolved the problem and restored full service shortly after 6 a.m.

Local residents expressed relief at the reopening. Wing Lam, who lives near the bridge, said she and RJ Atwal were caught off guard by the weekend closures while running an errand at a Home Depot. "A little bit of frustration, but it's fine, but then we come back here, last mile, oh, we are almost home, we had food in the back, and we are like this ramp is closed as well," Atwal said.

The bridge had not undergone maintenance of this scale in approximately 40 years. The weekend project marks the end of most Revive I-5 work for the current year. Denys Antipenko noted that while the construction is frustrating for drivers, the new pedestrian sidewalks are a welcome change for those walking through the area.

Wing Lam said she plans to monitor WSDOT construction alerts more closely in the future. "You know how the Instagram account has lot of doodles, we are like oh yeah, it was closed, so that’s how we checked after the fact," Lam said. She added that coming from Los Angeles, she is used to infrastructure projects that stall, and appreciates that work is getting done here.

WSDOT says construction will resume on the bridge in early 2027. The next phase will focus on the southbound lanes. Officials aim to finish the entire project by the end of next year.