Drivers beware: I-5 will be mess in Olympia next 2 weekends

September 10, 2014

This part of Interstate 5 in Olympia will face lane and ramp closures during the weekends of Sept. 12 and Sept. 19. Very long backups are expected. (Photos courtesy of Washington State Department of Transportation)

We normally love to encourage people to come visit Olympia, especially our beautiful Capitol Campus. But if you’re driving on Interstate 5 during the next two weekends, make sure to avoid using the freeway in our state capital during that time. That’s the word from the Washington State Department of Transportation. The busy I-5/US 101 interchange near Capitol Lake will undergo some much-needed bridge repair work those two weekends. Crews will replace a 171-foot-long bridge expansion joint that spans the width of the roadway. The concrete surrounding the 28-year-old joint has deteriorated where I-5 and 101 merge. The photo below shows how the concrete has become damaged. Here is how motorists will be impacted this weekend: • I-5 will be reduced to one lane in each direction between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. Friday through Sunday. • During daytime hours on Saturday and Sunday, I-5 will be open to only two lanes in each direction. • The Deschutes Parkway Southwest on-ramp to northbound I-5 will close from 10 p.m. Thursday to 5 p.m. Monday. • The Henderson Avenue/14th Avenue Southeast on-ramp to southbound I-5 also will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. • The US 101 on-ramp to northbound I-5 will be reduced to one lane from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Go here to learn more about the maintenance project and how it will affect motorists.

According to WSDOT, more than 276,000 vehicles use this stretch of I-5 on a typical weekend. About 190,000 vehicles travel on US 101 approaching I-5. WSDOT warns of backups as long as 14 miles on I-5 during these two weekends, so if you can avoid I-5 in and near Olympia during these weekends, do it! WSDOT encourages people traveling between Seattle and Portland to consider taking an Amtrak Cascades train. Amtrak Cascades offers four round trips per day between those two cities.
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