³ÉÈËXÕ¾

CHOKEPOINTS

Construction is taking the Fourth of July holiday off

Jul 2, 2024, 7:09 AM

construction fourth of july...

(Photo courtesy of ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ 7)

(Photo courtesy of ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ 7)

It’s a grab bag as we head into the Fourth of July holiday, starting with some good news for the ferry service.

We were worried passengers on the Mukilteo-Clinton run would have to suffer through longer-than-normal wait times over the holiday because of the damage to the Suquamish. It had been in dry dock the last few weeks after being damaged by a crab pot line, but it is back in service. That keeps a 144-car Olympic Class ferry on that route.

Record breaking: Travelers can expect long lines at Sea-Tac

The ferry service expects 700,000 passengers to use the boats through Sunday. If you are planning to return home on a ferry, you better get to a terminal early, or you will face long wait times.

And speaking of ferries, you need to be careful about the fireworks you bring on board. All illegal fireworks are not allowed on any ferry. This includes missile-type rockets, bottle rockets, M-80s, firecrackers and any homemade or altered fireworks.

There shouldn’t be too many fireworks on the roads, at least for construction. Construction is off for the holiday, but you need to get ready for the rest of the year.

There will be no rock blasting on I-90 near Cle Elum. And there will be no work on the over the Columbia River. All four lanes are open through next Monday. is off. The southbound expansion joint work where I-5 goes over Military Road is complete. But it will return northbound near Boeing Field next weekend.

And for all of you heading to the beach this weekend, don’t forget the major road closures on SR 8 between Olympia and Montesano. A is replacing bridges on that corridor. Heading eastbound out of Montesano, be sure to prepare for a zipper merge. That one backs up several miles. Please use both lanes approaching the merge and don’t cut people off trying to merge properly.

You have one more chance to tell the Washington State Transportation (WST) Commission your thoughts about .

More from Chokepoints: Toilets, fires and other things you shouldn’t bury in the sand this Fourth of July

There will be a special hearing July 10 to discuss them. The plan is to raise them by 10%, varying by time of day and day of week. The number of price variations would go from the existing eight, to six.

The increases would go into effect next month.

The 520 corridor isn’t making enough money to meet its financial obligations. The tolls need to go up to cover them.

Check out more of Chris’ Chokepoints here. You can also follow Chris on .Ìý to follow ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio Traffic’s profile .

Chokepoints

sr 529 closures...

Chris Sullivan

Four full closures for SR 529 coming in May

Heads up Marysville and Everett. State Route 529 (SR 529) is not going to be a reliable way to make that connection in May. Four full highway closures are on next month's schedule, starting this weekend.

16 hours ago

I-5 tacoma collision...

Frank Sumrall

Driver dead after ‘major collision’ shut down I-5 north near Lakewood; All lanes back open

All lanes heading north on I-5 were shut down and blocked near Lakewood after a semi truck crashed early Tuesday morning.

16 hours ago

Photo: The Ballard Bridge....

Nate Connors

Weekend road work roundup: Major closures to hit Ballard Bridge, I-5

Major road work this weekend: Ballard Bridge closes April 25-28, impacting I-5 traffic.

4 days ago

Other than left-lane campers and bad mergers, few things are more disappointing behind the wheel th...

Chris Sullivan

Seriously WA, stop littering 38 million pounds each year

Littering harms our roads and wildlife. Learn why it's crucial to keep our environment clean and the impact of your actions.

5 days ago

work zone awareness week...

Nate Connors

Work Zone Awareness Week honors 61 WSDOT employees killed on the job

During Work Zone Awareness Week, agencies remember 61 WSDOT employees killed in work zones incidents.

6 days ago

Red Light Cameras edmonds...

MyNorthwest Staff

New Edmonds red light cameras may issue 11,000+ tickets a year

New red light cameras in Edmonds warns drivers and aims to enhance traffic safety by issuing thousands of tickets annually.

6 days ago

Construction is taking the Fourth of July holiday off