Construction, holiday travel likely to snarl region's traffic

If you're hitting the road for the July Fourth weekend, be ready to cope with lots of traffic in Western Washington — and severe congestion on westbound Interstate 90 near Seattle on Sunday afternoon because of floating-bridge lane closures.

Starting at 4 p.m. Sunday, and continuing until 5 a.m. Monday, traffic on I-90 will be funneled into a single westbound lane on the floating bridge across Lake Washington. (The express lanes will close at 1 a.m. Sunday, and two of the three westbound lanes will close at 4 p.m., leaving open just one westbound lane on the bridge.)

Road crews will be doing prep work Sunday and overnight so they can start replacing massive steel expansion joints on the bridge on Monday.

At 5 a.m. Monday, all westbound I-90 traffic will be diverted into two express lanes across the bridge when work begins. That diversion will continue until July 20, says the Washington State Department of Transportation, with commuter peak-time delays of an hour expected.

"It's an unfortunate reality ... if we don't start at 4 p.m. on Sunday, we run the risk of not having two lanes open Monday morning," said DOT spokesman Mike Murphy.

For those travelers returning to Seattle on Sunday afternoon from east of the Cascades, the DOT suggests using alternate routes such as state Route 202 to Route 520, or Route 18 to Interstate 5.

Drivers on the Eastside also can use Interstate 405 to head around the south or north ends of Lake Washington.

But, says Murphy, "your best option is to get home before 4 p.m."

Get information on the I-90 floating bridge project at www.wsdot.wa.gov/
Projects/I90/HomerHadleyBridgeRepair.

Busiest times

Around the Puget Sound, the busiest holiday traffic times are expected to be from noon to 9 p.m. today and on Sunday from about noon into the late evening. Travelers can phone 5-1-1 for statewide traffic information.

(Within Seattle, expect very heavy traffic on Saturday evening for the Lake Union fireworks by Gas Works Park. Roads around Wallingford and Fremont and much of Lake Union will be particularly congested.)

Trouble spots

Some particular trouble spots for holiday travel around the state include:

• Interstate 5 / Stanwood: While most road construction is suspended for the holiday, one of the three northbound lanes of I-5 will remain closed all weekend for four miles through Snohomish/Skagit counties from milepost 213 to 217 near Stanwood. The right lane is being repaired and resurfaced, a monthslong project. For information, see www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/SR532ToHillDitch/.

• Interstate 5/ Olympia-Chehalis: This is a traditional trouble spot, with traffic for Tacoma, Olympia and Seattle converging.

The DOT predicts the most congested times will be: today, northbound 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; southbound 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Sunday, the worst traffic is expected northbound noon to 7 p.m.; southbound from 1 to 6 p.m.

• Highway 101: If you're driving on the Olympic Peninsula on Highway 101, July Fourth parades will close the highway on Saturday in Forks and Port Angeles; detours will be posted. The Forks parade goes from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the Port Angeles parade is from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Mountain passes

Snoqualmie Pass: Traffic will be heavy on eastbound I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass this morning. On Sunday, westbound traffic will be heavy from Cle Elum to North Bend over Snoqualmie Pass from noon to 9 p.m.

Stevens Pass: The heaviest traffic on Highway 2 over Stevens Pass is expected westbound on Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

Ferries

Washington State Ferries expects heavy traffic on most routes. For San Juan Island routes, parking is free at the ferry terminal at Anacortes July 3-6 to encourage travelers to leave their cars behind and walk aboard the ferries. A fireworks display at Lopez Island on July 4 attracts lots of travelers, and some extra sailings have been added.

On the Edmonds-Kingston route, there will be delays getting off the 12:05 p.m. ferry to Kingston because Kingston's annual Fourth of July Parade passes near the terminal. Those trying to catch the 12:50 p.m. ferry from Kingston to Edmonds may also be delayed because of the parade.

Get sailing schedules and wait times at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/

Border crossings

Expect delays at the U.S.-Canada border, especially at the main Peace Arch crossing at Blaine where reconstruction of the U.S. border station has reduced the number of lanes. This afternoon and Sunday afternoon and evening will be particularly busy. Get real-time border-crossing times and more information at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/border/.

Remember to take the right identification: Stricter ID requirements for crossing land/sea borders between the U.S. and Canada began June 1. Adults must have a passport, or a passport card, enhanced driver's license or "trusted traveler" card; get details at www.getyouhome.gov

Sea-Tac Airport

Most July Fourth travel is by road, but airports are busy and delays at one airport can boomerang through the U.S. air-travel system. Double-check flight status before going to the airport through your airline or Sea-Tac's real-time flight info at www.portseattle.org/seatac/. You can also check on space in the airport parking garage at that Web site, or phone 206-433-5388 for general Sea-Tac information.

Air travelers need to be aware of the Transportation Security Administration's security rules. To get through the airport security-screening lanes, passengers must show valid government-issued ID and an airline boarding pass.

Shoes and jackets must be taken off for security screening, and laptops removed from bags.

The 3-1-1 rule still applies for liquids packed in carry-on luggage. Three-ounce bottles are the maximum size for all liquids, gels and aerosols; everything must fit in a quart-sized clear plastic bag; and only one bag is allowed per passenger. Get details at www.tsa.gov or phone 866-289-9673.

Kristin Jackson: kjackson@seattletimes.com