Seattle, WA

‘Months of Hell’ return to I-5 around Seattle

Published

2 weeks ago

January 6, 2026

‘Months of Hell’ return to I-5 around Seattle

We survived it last year, barely, but now we’re in for several “months of Hell” as closures of northbound I-5 across the Ship Canal Bridge return.

You deserve a pat on the back if you survived the “month of Hell” between July and August last summer.

You might need therapy to survive what’s about to happen.

Four ‘months of hell’ inbound

Four “months of Hell” will start this weekend with a full closure of northbound I-5 from downtown Seattle to University District. The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) needs the weekend to set up a work zone across the Ship Canal Bridge.

Come next Monday, the two left lanes of the northbound Ship Canal Bridge will be closed 24/7, and this is going to last for four months.

I spoke with Tom Pearce, a communications specialist for WSDOT, about the upcoming work last year.

“We will work for about four months, and then we will pause and pick everything up when the World Cup comes to town,” Pearce said. “When the World Cup ends, we will have another weekend-long closure, reset the work zone, and then we’ll start to work on the right lanes of the northbound Ship Canal Bridge.”

And that will come with a second four-month chunk of lane closures.

I’m not sure if you remember just how bad these similar closures were for that one month last summer, but it was absolutely brutal.

To help with the traffic flow, WSDOT kept the I-5 express lanes open in the northbound direction the entire time. The rationale is that it is the direction of travel of the closures.

What that created was a daily one-hour delay, or more, for southbound I-5 drivers. Tens of thousands of southbound drivers use those express lanes every morning, and with that option gone, they had to stay in the main line, creating a daily five-mile backup to the Edmonds exit down to Northgate.

“We know that it was difficult for travelers, particularly for southbound in the morning on I-5,” Pearce said. “People did well at adapting and using other transportation methods and adjusting their schedules. It went relatively well.”

WSDOT is using all the data it collected during that month of closures and is using to help with congestion this time around.

Here’s the setup going forward

Northbound I-5 will be closed through the downtown corridor all weekend. When it reopens on Monday, only the right two lanes will be open until June 5. That weekend, the entire northbound freeway will be closed to remove the work zone.

The work will take a break during the World Cup until July 10. Then, northbound I-5 will be reduced to just two left lanes until the end of the year. The end date hasn’t been released. It was originally scheduled to wrap up in November.

This is going to cause significant delays around Seattle. My best advice is to alter your schedule and get on the road at least an hour earlier than normal.

And if you think you’ll just jump on the light rail out of Lynnwood to avoid the backup, you’re going to need a plan. That parking lot is full by 7 a.m. most mornings. It will likely be filled earlier than that going forward.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.

Follow @https://twitter.com/newsguysully

Source link

Related Topics:Featured Home MyNorthwest.com MyNorthwest.com - Seattle news Sports talk and community.traffic weather

Click to comment

Seattle, WA

‘Free America’ march moves through Seattle – MyNorthwest.com

Published

6 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Press Room

‘Free America’ march moves through Seattle – MyNorthwest.com

A “Free America” march and rally moved southbound on 2nd Avenue before making its way to Pier 58 in downtown Seattle.

The event was sponsored by Refuse Fascism Seattle. People all over Seattle were encouraged to walk out of school, out of work, or just out of their homes in opposition to what they call a “fascist administration.” It also encouraged people to pause spending and call their legislators to voice their opposition.

“Fascism is not a curse word. Fully imposed, it is a radically oppressive and repressive form of rule over the people of this country, with devastating impact on the people of the world,” one protestor told KIRO Newsradio.

The group marched from Seattle Central College to the waterfront, where they held a tribute for Renee Good, the woman killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis.

Good’s family hires law firm that represented George Floyd

Good’s family accused federal officers of killing her as she tried to follow their instructions, and has since hired the same law firm that represented George Floyd’s family, according to The Associated Press (AP).

Her loved ones said in a statement that they want Good to be remembered as “an agent of peace,” The AP reported.

Protesters were previously blocking all southbound traffic but have since dispersed, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) reported Tuesday afternoon via X.

Contributing: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio

Follow Julia Dallas on X. Read her stories here. Submit news tips here.

Source link

Seattle, WA

Leonard Williams explains Sam Darnold’s changes with Seahawks

Published

18 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Press Room

Leonard Williams explains Sam Darnold’s changes with Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is getting ready for the biggest game of his career against the Los Angeles Rams.

While Darnold has appeared in the Super Bowl before, he only did so as a backup quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. This weekend, he’ll have a chance to start in the NFC Championship against the Rams, who eliminated him last year when he was with the Minnesota Vikings.

Before Darnold was with any of these NFL teams, he started out his professional career with the New York Jets as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of USC. During his college days, he was teammates with defensive end Leonard Williams, whose path has eerily matched with Darnold to get to the pacific northwest. Now, the pair have a chance to reach a Super Bowl together.

“He means a lot to this team. I’ve been around him in college, I’ve been around him early in his career on the Jets, and I think as soon as I saw him in the building here, I saw a dedicated guy. He’s dedicated to his craft, dedicated to the work, dedicated to this organization, and he’s just a special leader on this team,” Williams said of Darnold.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold throws the ball as New York Giants defensive end Leonard Williams defends. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Darnold, Williams have unusual path together

The pair were teammates in college for two seasons at USC before Williams went to the league as a first-round pick for the New York Jets. In 2018, Darnold became the Jets’ quarterback and played with Williams again for two seasons before the defensive star was dealt to the New York Giants in the middle of the season. Darnold stuck with the Jets for one more season before the team traded him to the Carolina Panthers ahead of the 2021 season.

Two years later, Williams was dealt again, this time to the Seahawks. Two years after that, Darnold rejoined them, and now the pair have a chance to get to the mountain top of the football world together. While things are a bit different, Williams says things have shifted a bit.

“I think we’re both very different. Even for me, I was too young to pay attention to other guys that much. Now I’m a veteran, I can understand what guys are going through. I can be more of a leader in that space where I can see what’s going on in the locker room. When he first got to the Jets, I was still young as well, so it was harder for me to pay attention to what other guys were doing,” Williams said of Darnold.

The two were not called upon to be leaders on a young Jets team, but now that they have both grown in their careers, they are being asked to play a big role for the Seahawks on and off the field. The Seahawks will need both of them to be on their A-game in order to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in 11 years.

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams celebrates on the field following an NFC Divisional Round. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Seattle’s losing streak continues as Penguins capitalize on second-period surge

Published

1 day ago

January 19, 2026

Press Room

Seattle’s losing streak continues as Penguins capitalize on second-period surge

SEATTLE — Brett Kulak broke a second-period tie with his first goal of the season, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Seattle Kraken 6-3 on Monday.

Kulak, acquired from Edmonton in December as part of the trade for goalie Tristan Jarry, scored for the first time since last year’s Western Conference final. The defenseman ripped a one-timer to give the Penguins a 3-2 lead with 5:15 left in the second.

Several other unlikely offensive contributors chipped in for the Penguins (23-14-11). Fellow defenseman Parker Witherspoon got the scoring started with a wrister from the point that slid past Seattle goalie Joey Daccord for his third of the season.

Pittsburgh center Connor Dewar scored short-handed in the first period and added an empty-net goal with 29.6 seconds remaining. Dewar’s first goal marked the third straight game the Kraken (21-18-9) have yielded a short-handed goal.

After falling behind 2-0, the Kraken tied it on goals from forward Ben Meyers and defenseman Ryan Lindgren. Meyers’ goal was his career-high fifth of the season. Eeli Tolvanen also scored for Seattle, which has lost four straight and six of seven.

Justin Brazeau scored early in the third for the Penguins to make it 4-2. Rickard Rakell added an insurance goal before Dewar’s empty-netter. Pittsburgh won for the second time in three games following a three-game skid.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had two assists in his 1,400th career game. Stuart Skinner stopped 20 shots.

Daccord made 26 saves for Seattle.