Seattle traffic: Weekend events cause delays on local roads

SEATTLE - The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is warning western Washington commuters about a traffic headache many may endure due to several events and road closures happening over the weekend.

WSDOT posted a map on social media that highlights the important events to plan around in order to avoid running into road delays in the Seattle area.

Here's a bigger look at what's happening this weekend:

UW and Seattle U graduations

The University of Washington and Seattle University are having their graduation ceremonies this weekend, happening on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The first round of UW grads received their degrees at the Tacoma Dome at 8:30 a.m. on Friday. The next UW commencement is at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Husky Stadium, meaning traffic in the University District will likely pile up in the afternoon. The third UW ceremony is at 11 a.m. Sunday at T-Mobile Park, so areas around the I-5/I-90 interchange could be busier during this time.

Seattle U's graduation ceremonies will both happen on Sunday at Climate Pledge Arena. There will be one at 11 a.m. and another at 5 p.m., so Sunday morning could be a drive time to avoid.

The Great Ferry Race

The Great Ferry Race half-marathon is taking place Sunday morning on Bainbridge Island. The race begins at 8 a.m. in downtown Seattle, where runners will take the Seattle/Bainbridge ferry to Bainbridge and officially begin the half-marathon.

Ferry commuters should expect increased traffic on the Seattle-Bainbridge route, and Bainbridge residents should be aware of area road closures.

Fall City Day & Run

On Saturday, sections of State Route 202 will be closed due to the Fall City Day Run.

Specifically, the road will be closed between Preston-Fall City Road SE and W. River Road between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., and also across the Snoqualmie River between 7 and 10:30 a.m.

Road closures

In addition to the various events, WSDOT is also closing several roads for construction work this weekend.

Firstly, the SR 99 Tunnel will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday.

On I-5 near Renton, there will be up to three lane closures from 9 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday. This will affect southbound lanes between Albro Place and mid-Boeing Field.

In Snohomish County, northbound and southbound State Route 529 will be closed over the Snohomish River between Everett and Marysville from 10 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday.

WSDOT also warned drivers that the northbound SR 529 Snohomish River Bridge will be closed from Monday, June 10 through October. Northbound traffic will be shifted onto the southbound bridge starting Monday at 5 a.m.

In Jerfferson County, the SR 104 and SR 19 intersection will be closed for 21 days.

Drivers traveling south should also be aware that southbound I-5 will be down to two lanes at Dike Acess Bridge Road, just north of Woodland.