Traffic: ‘Hawks game, Hempfest bringing thousands to Seattle

SEATTLE — Big events will bring tens of thousands of people into Seattle Friday and over the weekend and one of the main routes into the city from the Eastside will be shut down.

Drivers should plan accordingly on Friday. Weather has made traffic worse than expected.

Significant traffic backups continue as Seahawks fans come into the SODO area for the preseason opener against the Broncos at CenturyLink. As other drivers are heading away from downtown in the evening commute, Seattle Department of Transportation responders are restoring traffic signals and reopening lanes. Click here to read about Seattle traffic.

Heavier rain will pull away from downtown around 6 p.m. on Friday. 

Around kickoff time, Seattle will be in the low 60s with spotty showers. It will be breezy.

Quick Facts:

• Hempfest opens at noon Friday at Myrtle Edwards Park
• Seahawks game at CenturyLink Field at 7 p.m.
• SR 520 closes Friday at 11 p.m. to noon Sunday

Hempfest kicks off at noon Friday along Seattle's waterfront. More than 100,000 people are expected to attend the world's largest event celebrating marijuana.

It runs through Sunday at Myrtle Edwards Park.

Also Friday night, tens of thousands of Seahawks fans will flock to Seattle for the first preseason game that starts at 7 p.m.  Here's five things to know for the preseason kickoff.

The state is promising there won't be a repeat of the ferry fiasco that left fans fuming last year. If you're riding the ferry to the game, you may want to check out this story.

There were too many people allowed onto the ferry from Bremerton, so the boat had to turn back and offload passengers.

Friday, there will be extra security and an extra late-night sailing to accommodate the crush of fans.

Friday night at 11 p.m., the State Route 520 bridge will shut down for an annual inspection.

The bridge is expected to re-open by noon Sunday.

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