7-02-2026 4:59pm

Skip the gridlock, enjoy the fireworks over July 4 weekend with our travel charts

Chris Clasen Editor

Skip the gridlock, enjoy the fireworks over July 4 weekend with our travel charts
Map listing multiple events across Washington for the July Fourth holiday weekend

If red, white and avoiding the blues of traffic backups are on your Independence Day weekend agenda, then our holiday travel charts might just be your declaration of congestion independence.

These charts are available just in time for the Fourth of July, helping you spend more time with family and friends and less time sitting in traffic. The charts highlight the best and worst times to travel on major state highways during one of Washington's busiest travel weekends.

Key routes include Interstate 5 between Lacey and Tacoma, I-90 between North Bend and Cle Elum, US 2 between Skykomish and Stevens Pass, and the I-5/Canada border crossing. We expect that these routes are likely to experience some of the heaviest congestion during the holiday weekend.

What chart colors represent
In the travel charts, green represents the most favorable travel times, while red indicates periods of anticipated peak congestion. Review the charts before heading out and build extra time into your plans – especially on Friday, July 3, when many people are expected to begin their holiday travels.

Whether traveling across town or across the state, we encourage travelers to “know before you go” by following these tips:

Get informed about our online tools, including the our mobile app, traffic cameras and email alerts.

Visit online traveler information for traffic, weather, ferry schedules and a real-time travel map.

Identify potential rest areas before heading out, to ensure enough breaks to avoid drowsy driving.

Have a backup outdoor destination in mind, as parks and other outdoor recreation sites tend to fill up quickly on holiday weekends. If a site’s parking lot is full, never park along road shoulders – this is unsafe for everyone on the roadway, including emergency responders

View our July Fourth Facebook post for more details on events across the state.
SEATTLE: Revive I-5 returns with weekend-long closure starting Friday night, July 10
Revive I-5 closure and information

With soccer championship matches in Seattle finishing July 6, it’s time to get back to work on the Revive I-5 Ship Canal Bridge project. We’ll have a weekend-long northbound mainline closure beginning at 11:59 p.m. Friday, July 10, running through 5 a.m. Monday, July 13, starting at the I-5/I-90 interchange. The express lanes will be northbound only during this closure.

When we reopen all lanes, you’ll see a couple of changes:

The express lanes will be northbound only, 24/7, until work wraps up toward the end of the year.
The Harvard Avenue on-ramp to northbound I-5 will be closed until Oct. 11.

Leading up to the full closure, we’ll start closing on-ramps at 9 p.m. A full list of the ramp closure times will be on our project website, along with overall project information.

If you’re going to downtown Seattle during the weekend-long closure, you’ll need to use the Edgar Martinez Drive, Dearborn, James or Madison Street exits. Also, the westbound I-90 off-ramp to northbound I-5 will be closed.

Whenever the express lanes are northbound, remember there are no exits to downtown Seattle. The first exit is Northeast 42nd Street in the University District. During the weekend-long closure, the Fifth Avenue/Columbia/Cherry express lanes entrance will be open to all drivers. Monday morning, July 13, it will revert to HOV only.

Real-time travel information is available from the WSDOT mobile app, the WSDOT Travel Center Map or by signing up for WSDOT's email updates.
SEATTLE: Overnight concrete panel replacement, crack sealing work continues along I-5 during overnight hours

Overnight lane and ramp closures along Interstate 5 in Seattle resume Monday night, July 6, for ongoing work on a regional pavement repair project.

I-5 lane and ramp closure details
The following closures are planned from as early as 9 p.m. Monday, July 6 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, July 7:

Up to three lanes of southbound I-5 between State Route 104/244th Street Southwest and Northeast 50th Street.
The King County Metro bus barn to southbound I-5 off-ramp in Shoreline.
The southbound I-5 on-ramp from Northeast 175th Street in Shoreline.
The southbound I-5 on-ramp from North 85th Street in Seattle.

The following closures are planned from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly in Seattle beginning Monday, July 6, through Wednesday morning, July 8:

Up to two lanes of northbound I-5 between Northeast Ravenna Boulevard and North 85th Street.
The northbound I-5 off-ramp to Lake City Way.
The northbound I-5 on-ramp from Northeast 70th Street.

Express Lanes
The I-5 express lanes in Seattle will close early at 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 8 and Wednesday, July 9. The express lanes will reopen at the normal time the following mornings.

The following closure is planned in Seattle from 11 p.m. Wednesday, July 8 to 4 a.m. Thursday, July 9:

Up to three lanes of southbound I-5 from Northeast 130th Street to Northeast 92nd Street.

The following closures are planned in Seattle from as early as 9 p.m. Thursday, July 9 to 5 a.m. Friday, July 10:

Up to three lanes of southbound I-5 between Northeast 130th Street to Northeast 92nd Street.
The southbound I-5 to North 85th Street off-ramp.
The southbound I-5 on-ramp from Northgate Way.

This regional pavement repair project will improve the driving surface in more than 70 locations in King, Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties. As part of this project, contractor crews are replacing 89 concrete panels along the I-5 corridor in Seattle and Shoreline.

BELLEVUE: Eastbound I-90 ramp, lane closures resume Monday night, July 6, for paving work
A map showing the locations on eastbound I-90 that will be repaved under a project starting June 7, 2026.

Overnight lane and ramp closures on eastbound I-90 in Bellevue will resume Monday, July 6, for a paving project that will last through the summer.

Closure details
The following closures are planned from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly Monday, July 6, through Friday morning, July 10:

Three lanes of eastbound I-90 between Island Crest Way in Mercer Island and Factoria Boulevard Southeast.
The Mercer Way to eastbound I-90 on-ramp.
The eastbound I-90 off-ramp to Bellevue Way.
The Bellevue Way to eastbound I-90 on-ramp.
The eastbound I-90 off-ramp to Factoria Boulevard.

Signed detours will guide people around ramp closures. This work is weather dependent and could be rescheduled.

Contractor crews will use the closures for asphalt grinding and paving. This work supports a project that is repaving nearly 2 miles of eastbound I-90 in Bellevue.
NORTH BEND - Public invited to learn and share feedback on an upcoming SR 202 project in North Bend

The public is invited to learn more about the SR 202 / Boalch Ave NW to I-90 & Overflow Channel Bridge - Paving, ADA, & Deck Project. Community members have until Aug. 4 to visit the online open house to fill out the survey to provide feedback to WSDOT on how to improve and add pedestrian and bicycle facilities and improve access to transit on SR 202.

After this online open house, the project team will work to develop improvement options that address community needs. A second open house will be held in late 2026 to review these improvement options and seek feedback.

FEDERAL WAY/MILTON: Weekday SR 161 lane closures continue for fish passage work
A map showing the location of three culverts that will be replaced in summer 2026 along SR 161.

Contractor crews will install three fish-passable culverts along SR 161 in Federal Way and Milton during the 2026 construction season.

Weekday right lane closures on SR 161 in Federal Way and Milton continue for fish passage work along three tributaries to Hylebos Creek.

From 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, the right lane on northbound and southbound SR 161 will close between South 370th Street in Federal Way and Military Road South in Milton. One lane will remain open in both directions through the work zone, but delays are possible during peak travel periods.

Crews will replace three culverts during the 2026 construction season, requiring extended full closures on SR 161 that are tentatively planned for July and August.

Right lane closures along SR 161 in this area will continue into the fall.
TUKWILA: WSDOT Maintenance work to close 4 lanes of NB I-5 overnight, July 8-9

From 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 8 to 6 a.m. Thursday, July 9, four left lanes of northbound I-5 in Tukwila will close between the I-405 interchange and State Route 599. The northbound I-5 HOV flyover ramp will also close. Maintenance crews will use this closure to perform mastic paving repairs, so expect delays, especially if you are traveling to the SEA Airport. The left lane of both directions of SR 509 near South 140th Street in Burien will also close from 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 8 to 3 a.m. Thursday, July 9.

CARNATION: Guardrail repairs scheduled on SR 203, July 7

From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, SR 203/Carnation-Duvall Road Northeast will be reduced to a single lane with flaggers near Fay Road Northeast in Carnation for guardrail repair. Maintenance crews might have continue this work daily until Thursday, July 16.

ISSAQUAH: Bridge deck repair on EB I-90, July 10

From 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, July 10, two left lanes of eastbound I-90 near Highlands Drive Northeast in Issaquah will close for bridge deck repair.

"Know before you go" resources: