Date:  Monday, May 04, 2009

Contact: Sandy Lam, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4788 (Seattle)

SEATTLE – Day one of closures on the Interstate 90 bridge express lanes Monday morning brought 25- to 30-minute rush-hour delays between Bellevue and Seattle. Tuesday morning, however, could be a different story when commuters contend with a windstorm in the forecast.

Drivers could wake up to a tougher morning commute if high winds knock out power and whip up waves along the floating bridges. WSDOT advises drivers to tune in to traffic updates on the WSDOT Web site, and have a plan-B for a stormy commute.

First day
Many drivers took the warnings seriously and steered clear of I-90 on the first day of express lane closures today. But backups still cost commuters up to a half-hour westbound on I-90 in the morning and eastbound in the afternoon. It was the first of 19 consecutive days of express lane closures on I-90. WSDOT contractor crews closed the express lanes to replace cracking expansion joints. The $8.3 million project supports 80 jobs.

Evening commute
This evening's commute proceeded much as traffic engineers expected. At 6 p.m., it took about 16 minutes to travel from Seattle to Bellevue. That’s about normal, but backups developed on I-5 headed for I-90 with traffic jockeying for limited space in I-90s mainline only.

Westbound traffic was heavier across the I-90 bridge with 30-minute travel times from Bellevue to Seattle compared to the normal 20-minute rush-hour commute, according to WSDOT traffic sensors. A Mariners game starting at Safeco Field contributed to the back ups.

Morning traffic
www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle/
Tuesday morning's commute will be extra tough if drivers don’t plan ahead. Westbound drivers who normally rely on the I-90 express lanes could face an extra 30 minutes of delay if they do not plan ahead. Avoid the mess by traveling before or after peak hours, or avoid I-90 altogether by taking I-405 or SR 522.

The morning commute could be hampered by the storm system moving across the area. Please check the WSDOT Web site or tune into local television or radio tomorrow morning before heading out.

Progress on the job
Contractor crews got to work on I-90 at 11:30 p.m. Sunday. They brought their equipment onto the road and plan to start noisy concrete chipping work around 2 p.m. today. With anticipated heavy rain, crews are working around the clock to redirect water to the I-90 bridge water treatment facility. Once that’s complete, crews will begin removing joints from the bridge. The work will last several days.

We will replace the expansion joints in the express lanes in May and the westbound mainline joints in July.

What should drivers do?
• Plan for 15- to 30-minute delays on I-90.
• Check the Web for the latest information at www.wsdot.wa.gov/construction/2009/today.
• Check the Seattle traffic map to pinpoint and avoid congestion www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle
• Use the overhead freeway signs and the 511 driver information line to get up-to-the-minute information on the road.
• Call our I-90 information hotline at 206.440.4444. The hotline is staffed 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Leave a message and your call will be returned.

For more detailed closure information on these projects and other work this weekend, drivers should bookmark www.wsdot.wa.gov/construction/2009 and check the “What’s happening right now” link.
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