SEATTLE — UPDATE: I-5 express lanes are back to normal operations after the southbound opening was delayed by over an hour.
Monday morning was supposed to mark the end of the commuting nightmares out of the north end, but the traffic gods had other ideas.
Even though Revive I-5 finished up Sunday night and all lanes of northbound I-5 across the Ship Canal Bridge opened earlier than expected, the express lanes did not return to normal. They were supposed to switch from northbound to southbound at 5 a.m., returning to their normal operations, but that switch did not happen.
A WSDOT spokesperson shared the following statement.
“The express lane reversal is one of the most carefully orchestrated things we do. Prioritizing safety, there is a standard operating procedure that our crews must follow, including a physical sweep by IRT. This morning, crews had to clear a disabled vehicle at Lake City, repair a gate at Ravenna, and troubleshoot an issue with the electronic sign at Pike/9th. While we work as quickly as we can, safety of the traveling public is at the core of our operations, and we need to ensure everything is operating as it should before reopening.”
EXPRESS LANES UPDATE: The I-5 express lanes reversal is delayed due to a signals issue. The lanes remain in the NB direction. While we work as quickly as we can, safety is at the core of our operations, and we need to ensure everything is operating as it should before reopening.
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) November 2, 2026
Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.
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