The I-90 floating bridge will temporarily close while the U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform in the 2018 Seafair Air Show. The I-90 floating bridge in Seattle will temporarily close Sunday while the U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform in the 2018 Seafair Air Show. The bridge has been closed intermittently throughout the week during the Blue Angels' performance and practice. The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) said the closures for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians are required by the Federal Aviation Administration and are meant to keep the public and pilots safe. I-90 will close between I-5 in Seattle and Island Crest Way on Mercer Island on: Sunday, Aug. 5: 12:55 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. (Seafair Air Show) Pedestrians and cyclists can still access the bridge high rises during the closures, but WSDOT says no one can travel beyond the high rises 30 minutes before the closures. WSDOT said several ramps on I-90 and I-5 will also close 30 to 90 minutes before the scheduled practice and show times. Mercer Island ramps closers from WSDOT: West Mercer Way to westbound I-90 (up to 90 minutes beforehand) East Mercer Way to westbound I-90 (up to 60 minutes beforehand) Eastbound I-90 to West Mercer Way (up to 30 minutes beforehand) 76th Avenue to westbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes beforehand) Island Crest Way to westbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes beforehand) Seattle ramps to close 30 minutes prior: Northbound I-5 to eastbound I-90 Southbound I-5 to eastbound I-90 Northbound Rainier Avenue South to eastbound I-90 Southbound Rainier Avenue South to eastbound I-90 The SR 520 floating bridge will remain open to traffic and tolls will be collected, WSDOT said. Drivers who live on Mercer Island should follow detour routes. Most roads will be open for local traffic only. On Sunday, you can enjoy the excitement of the 2018 Seafair Weekend Festival live on KONG-TV and KING5.com<doc-sep>Another weekend, another whole list of things that could disrupt getting around. Some of these things might be things you’re doing, too—it’s still Seafair season, and the Blue Angels airshow (and practices for the airshow) are closing off I-90 at various points Thursday through Sunday, part of a big weekend that also includes the hydro races. It’s also both Fleet Week, Umoja Fest, the Seattle Art Fair, so there’s something for everyone happening. Interested in not getting stuck behind the wheel? Our weekend traffic report is here for you. We’ve combed through the alerts and advisories from both the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to deliver transit-friendly solutions for your weekend outings. (And remember, it’s Fleet Week, so military members ride free with military ID through August 5.) Some of this weekend’s advisories—and transit-oriented alternate routes to events—are listed below. Weekend events: Blue Angels and Seattle Art Fair Seattle Art Fair runs all weekend, with a preview night Thursday and then all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday, at Centurylink Field Event Center. Link light rail goes to the stadiums, as does the First Hill Streetcar (with a bit of a walk) and a ton of bus routes from Metro, Community Transit, and Sound Transit. It’s also the Umoja Fest Africatown Heritage rally and parade this weekend. The parade starts on Saturday, at 1 p.m. at 23rd and Union—the site of a future development by Africatown—and moving to Judkins Park down 23rd Avenue. The 2 goes to the starting line. The festival runs Friday through Sunday though, and the 4 or 48 go to Judkins Park for music, performances, food, and other cultural celebrations. Magnolia is having its summerfest and a parade on Friday and Saturday with an art show, craft booths, and other activities at Magnolia Community Center and Magnolia Playfield on Friday and Saturday, with the parade starting at 10 a.m. and running down 34th, McGraw, and 32nd. The 24 will take you right there, or the 31 works, too. Lake City is having a parade and festival this weekend, too, taking up NE 125th Street. between Lake City Way NE and 25th Avenue NE from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Take the 64, 65, or 75 to get there. While a Saturday event is registered with SDOT it’s the “greatest party known to humankind,” it’s the annual Dead Baby Downhill that’s blocking off a big chunk of Georgetown from 6 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday. Airport Way will close from 13th to Carson from noon Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday. If you’re not riding your bike there, you can ride Metro route 124. (The ride starts at Drunky Two Shoes in White Center, so also keep an extra eye out for cyclists this weekend.) All that and we haven’t even covered fleet week yet. Seafair Fleet Week and Boeing Maritime Celebration has been going on all week and continues through Sunday, with tours of navy boats at piers 69 and 90 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. There’s a new, free shuttle bus that runs along the waterfront—otherwise you’ll have to settle for walking down from any downtown bus on Third Avenue. Saturday and Sunday, Museum of Flight is adding to the jet-related festivities with the Jet Blast Bash, featuring planes, cars, music, and food (and more Blue Angels) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The 124 and 154 go there. Blue Angels and hydroplane races It is once again time for those controversial, flying war machines to zoom through Seattle’s skies—which means not only hearing the occasional vroom-vroom of a jet engine overhead, but that the I-90 bridge is closing at various points all weekend long. Specifically, the bridge already closed Thursday from 9:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., then will close again from 1 to 2:45 p.m. for practice. Then, airshows are happening on Friday from 12:55 to 2:45 p.m., Saturday from 12:55 to 2:45 p.m., and Sunday from 12:55 to 2:45 p.m. This is part of a major Seafair weekend event at Genessee Park that also includes the hydroplane races (although people absolutely jump onto I-90 to watch the air show). Hydro races are happening just off the park in Lake Washington Friday through Sunday. The best way to get to Genessee Park this weekend is going to be Link light rail—there’s going to be a Seafair shuttle from Columbia City Station. Metro route 50 will get you there, and is running more frequently for the event; Metro route 7 will also get you a 10-minute walk away. Sports: Mariners and Storm The Mariners play the Blue Jays every day this weekend: 7:10 Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, then 1:10 on Sunday. Link light rail goes to Safeco (stadium stop), as does the First Hill Streetcar (at least, to the general vicinity) and a ton of bus routes from Metro, Community Transit, and Sound Transit. The Storm play the Minnesota Lynx on Friday at 9 p.m. at Key Arena. Take Metro routes 1, 2, 8, 13, 32, or RapidRide D to get there. Road work and bus service changes Thankfully, there aren’t too many road work closures this weekend—35th Avenue SW will be closed for maintenance on Friday during the day between 100th and 104th—but there are some pretty big bus reroutes thanks to all the parades, all on Saturday. Check rider alerts if you ride the 3, 4, 8, 14, 24, 31, 41, 48, 65, 75, 174, or 372. Some buses are also being rerouted due to the I-90 closures: the 212, 216, and 218, plus Sound Transit route 550. Note: We put immediate and new closures in this section, but not every single planned street closure appears here. Explore all 97 active SDOT projects, many of which involve street and lane closures, here. Here are Sound Transit rider alerts; here are King County Metro rider alerts.<doc-sep>
The Blue Angels aren’t just going to shut down I-90 for drivers this week. They will be stopping work on Sound Transit light rail. RELATED: Sound Transit to expand permit parking Everyone has to vacate the I-90 floating bridge during Blue Angel practice sessions and performances. Sound Transit spokesperson Rachelle Cunningham said this is the second year they’ve had to work with the Blue Angels. However, there is much more construction activity this time around. At this time last year, Sound Transit had barely taken-over the express lanes. “We have planned for those closures so there won’t be any work going on during the Blue Angel flyovers,” she said. Cunningham expects workers to start heading for either end of the bridge about an hour before the Blue Angels take flight. “I’m sure they have built-into their schedules time for everybody to wrap up what they are doing and safely get off the bridge,” she said. Most of the light rail work is being done inside the pontoons at this time. Crews are making sure the bridge can handle all the new weight. Cunningham said workers just finished post-tensioning on the giant steel cables that have been installed in the pontoons. They go across the structure to stabilize it and make it stronger. “There are about 3,600 feet of it that stretches from one end of the bridge to the other,” she said. Contractors had to close the westbound lanes of I-90 overnight last weekend to get some of that work done. Cunningham is hopeful they won’t have to close lanes again to finish the job. RELATED: Sound Transit celebrating Bellevue light rail tunnel Work is also underway on the tracks, but not on the floating bridge. “A lot of the track has already been delivered, and a lot of it is over on Mercer Island,” Cunningham said. “They have been welding it together. Cunningham said Sound Transit is still on schedule to get light rail to Bellevue by 2023 and to Redmond by 2024. Blue Angels practice and performance The mainlines of I-90 will be closed between I-5 in Seattle and Island Crest Way on Mercer Island at the following days and times: Thursday, Aug. 2: 9:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.; 1- 2:45 p.m. (practices) Friday, Aug. 3: 12:55 – 2:45 p.m. (Seafair Air Show) Saturday, Aug. 4 : 12:55 – 2:45 p.m. (Seafair Air Show) Sunday, Aug. 5: 12:55 – 2:45 p.m. (Seafair Air Show) Several ramps will close 30 minutes to one hour prior to the full I-90 closure. Mercer Island ramps to close: West Mercer Way to westbound I-90 (up to 90 minutes beforehand) East Mercer Way to westbound I-90 (up to 60 minutes beforehand) Eastbound I-90 to West Mercer Way (up to 30 minutes beforehand) 76th Avenue to westbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes beforehand) Island Crest Way to westbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes beforehand) Seattle ramps to close: