Traffic alert: Weekend closure of eastbound I-90 between Seattle, Mercer Island

All lanes of eastbound Interstate 90 will be closed between Seattle and Mercer Island during part of this weekend for restriping work.

The closure between Rainier Avenue South and East Mercer Way will start at 11 p.m. on Friday and last until 6 a.m. Sunday. The Interstate 5 ramps to eastbound I-90 will be closed as well.

Drivers should expect heavy congestion on Interstate 405 and State Route 520.

The closure will begin on the Seattle side to prevent off-island traffic from being rerouted onto Mercer Island streets.

“Islanders can use the East Mercer Way on-ramp to access eastbound I-90. The on-ramp will be reduced to one-lane to give crews room to safely work,” the City of Mercer Island said in a post on its website.

During the closure, Washington State Department of Transportation crews will restripe a section of eastbound I-90 at the East Channel Bridge. The work will shrink the lanes and the shoulder and reopen the fourth lane around a failing expansion joint, a custom-built piece of infrastructure that is slated to be replaced next year.

Once reopened on Sunday, that section will have a lowered speed limit of 45 mph due to narrower lanes and a smaller shoulder.

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