Drivers in Ballard, Fremont, Queen Anne, and Magnolia lost half their northbound I-5 lanes on July 13.
The two-lane squeeze holds through the end of 2026, and in 2027, the same treatment begins on the southbound side.
The Washington State Department of Transportation reopened northbound I-5 between Interstate 90 and Northeast 45th Street at approximately 6:30 p.m. on July 13, more than 10 hours ahead of schedule after a weekend-long full closure.
But the reopening came with a permanent trade-off: the Ship Canal Bridge now carries just two northbound lanes instead of four.
The $178 million Revive I-5: Ship Canal Bridge Preservation project, managed by WSDOT and contractor Atkinson Construction, is repairing and resurfacing the upper bridge deck, replacing concrete and aging expansion joints, and improving drainage on a structure that hasn't seen major preservation work in 40 years.
The bridge carries nearly 240,000 vehicles per day. WSDOT completed more than 200 emergency repairs on it between 2019 and 2024.
What changes for your commute
Three things hit at once:
Two right northbound lanes closed. Only the two left lanes remain open across the Ship Canal Bridge. The first phase of construction, which ran from Monday, January 12 through Friday, June 5, closed the two left lanes instead. All four lanes were briefly restored from June 8 through July 10 to accommodate FIFA World Cup 2026 games in Seattle.
Harvard Avenue East on-ramp closed until mid-October. According to WSDOT's project page, the closure lets crews work within one continuous construction zone, reducing conflicts between construction vehicles and merging traffic. Capitol Hill drivers who used this ramp to reach northbound I-5 will need alternate routes.
Express lanes locked northbound 24/7. The I-5 express lanes will no longer reverse to southbound service during the morning commute. All drivers may use the northbound express lanes, though select ramps remain HOV-only. Southbound I-5 drivers should expect additional congestion.
Express lane limits
The northbound express lanes do not provide access to downtown Seattle. Exits are available at Northeast 42nd Street in the University District, Lake City Way Northeast, and First Avenue Northeast at Northeast 103rd Street before the lanes merge back into mainline I-5 at Northgate. There is no access to State Route 520 from the express lanes.
Entry points include the Fifth Avenue/Columbia-Cherry Street HOV ramp, the Ninth Avenue/Pike-Pine Street HOV ramp, Howell Street at Eastlake Avenue East, and Mercer Street.
What comes next
WSDOT plans one more weekend-long full northbound closure at the end of 2026 to remove the work zone. The exact date is weather-dependent and has not been announced. No King County Metro service additions tied specifically to this construction phase have been confirmed.
In 2027, the project shifts to southbound lanes, bringing months of lane reductions in the opposite direction and additional weekend closures. WSDOT has not released that timeline. Residents can sign up for project updates at wsdot.wa.gov/construction-planning/search-projects/revive-i-5-ship-canal-bridge-preservation.
