The final round of Interstate 90 detours for the summer are scheduled to take place this weekend. Eastbound I-90 will be reduced to one lane and detoured to the express lanes from 11 p.m. on Friday, July 8 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 11.

Also beginning this weekend will be the “South King Slowdown” repaving project on southbound Interstate 5. The stretch of interstate between Tukwila and Des Moines will be reduced to a max of two lanes beginning at 8 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday. Motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes on State Routes 167 and 99.

The I-90 closure will allow the Washington State Department of Transportation to undertake light rail preparations inside the Mount Baker and Mercer Island tunnels. This weekend’s closure will address work that was cut short during a spring windstorm on March 13.

Islanders can exit the eastbound express lanes at Island Crest Way or 77th Avenue Southeast. Drivers heading to Bellevue from Mercer Island can enter the mainline eastbound I-90 roadway at Island Crest Way or East Mercer Way.

The off-ramp from eastbound I-90 to Rainier Avenue South will be open, while the on-ramps from Rainier Avenue South to eastbound I-90 will be closed. Drivers should follow the signed detour via Dearborn Street and Fourth Avenue South to reach I-90 during the closure. There will be no impacts to cyclists and pedestrians using the I-90 trail during the weekend closure.

There are up to 15 more weekend directional closures of I-90 planned between now and mid-2017 while the state builds all-day bus and carpool lanes next to the regular lanes. This work will allow the center I-90 roadway to be dedicated to Sound Transit light rail construction in 2017.