Street closures, traffic delays and detours for SODO neighborhood in January

Closures, detours and delays will occur in Seattle's SODO neighborhood the first two weeks of January while state Department of Transportation crews continue work to improve connections for traffic in the area.

Current projects include seismic retrofit work on the double-decked overpass that carries Interstate -90 over Interstate 5, ramp construction on Highway 519, the east-west corridor connecting I-5 and I-90, and preparation for road and bridge construction to replace the southern mile of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

• From Monday through Friday morning, crews will close the southbound and northbound Fourth Avenue South offramps from I-5 from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night to begin work connecting I-90 with the new I-90 offramp to the South Atlantic Street/Edgar Martinez Drive South overpass.

• Crews will close the ramp from westbound I-90 to Fourth Avenue South nightly from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. for seismic retrofit work. There will be signed detour routes around the construction zones.

• From Monday through Jan. 18, utility crews will be working on Alaskan Way South. near the entrance to the Port of Seattle's Terminal 46. During this period, both directions of Alaskan Way South, between South Atlantic and South Massachusetts streets, will be closed nightly from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Signed detours will direct northbound traffic to First Avenue South via South Hanford Street. Southbound traffic will be directed to First Avenue South via South Atlantic Street.

• From Wednesday through January 18, crews will close the right lane of westbound South Atlantic Street between Colorado Avenue South and Alaskan Way South daily from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. for utility work.

The ramp construction work at Fourth Avenue South is part of the $84.35 million Highway 519 Intermodal Access Project. The project will create a safer roadway for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists. Improvements also will help move freight, daily commuters, sports fans and ferry travelers faster through the corridor.

The utility work near Alaskan Way is preparation for the Highway 99 Holgate Street to South King Street Viaduct replacement project. In this project, the DOT will replace the southern mile of the viaduct with a new side-by-side roadway that includes new on- and offramps near the stadiums and new bicycle/pedestrian paths along Highway 99. Major construction will begin in spring 2010.