SEATTLE — Visitors and passengers going to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are advised to expect some additional traffic congestion in the early morning hours this week.
Lower Arrivals Drive will be fully closed from midnight to 7 a.m. starting on Monday night and going through Saturday morning, while crews finish demolishing an unused roadway ramp as part of a project aimed at improving congestion on airport drives.
According to SEA, the ramp was originally built to support valet operations in the main parking garage, but it has been shut down since the Link light rail extension to the Sea-Tac/Airport station opened in 2009.
A single lane of Lower Arrivals Drive will also remain closed from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. starting on Tuesday morning and going through Saturday morning.
During the overnight closures, traffic will be diverted to Upper Departures Drive, and courtesy vehicles, such as hotel and off-site parking shuttles, will be relocated to the northeast ground transportation parking lot.
The Port of Seattle says the closures were scheduled to take place during the overnight hours in hopes of lessening the impact to visitors. About 70% of flights arrive at the airport in the evenings, before the closures are set to begin, according to SEA.
This roadway ramp demolition and the accompanying closures are part of a larger roadway improvement project with the goal of alleviating congestion on the main roadway entrances to the airport and enhancing roadway safety.
As part of the Widen Arrivals Roadway project, crews will widen roadways that access Lower Arrivals Drive and the main parking garage, adding two lanes to the roadway.
The project is expected to be completed in early 2026, according to SEA.
©2022 Cox Media Group
