Drivers who use Interstate 405 on the Eastside should plan now for a full weekend shutdown. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will close all lanes of northbound I-405 in Bothell, between State Route 522 and SR 527, from 11 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6 until 5 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, so crews can remove a section of the pedestrian bridge at the Canyon Park Park and Ride. A signed detour route will be in place for the whole closure.

Source: Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)

Exactly what is closing

Alongside the mainline lanes, WSDOT says these northbound ramps will also close for the weekend: the Northeast 128th Street on-ramp, the Northeast 132nd Street on-ramp, the Northeast 160th Street on-ramp, the SR 522 on-ramps, the Northeast 195th Street on- and off-ramps (Exit 23), and the SR 527 off-ramp (Exit 24). Anyone whose normal route joins or leaves I-405 inside that stretch will need the detour or a completely different route.

Source: Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)

WSDOT warns that people travelling northbound throughout the region should expect heavier traffic and longer travel times on northbound Interstate 5 and on local streets through Bothell, as drivers shift their routes around the closed freeway. The agency is asking travellers to use transit and park-and-ride options where they can, stay flexible about travel times, and check real-time traffic information before leaving.

Source: Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)

Why the pedestrian bridge has to come down

During the closure, crews will remove a portion of the pedestrian bridge at the Canyon Park Park and Ride and take out the bridge's elevator. The bridge has to be removed to make space for expanding I-405 through Bothell. In its place, crews will build a new pedestrian bridge connecting to the future Stride bus rapid transit station, which is already under construction in the middle of the freeway. The new bridge is scheduled to open in 2028, and the existing bridge stays closed to pedestrians until then.

Source: Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)

The work is one piece of the I-405/Brickyard to SR 527 Improvement Project, a state-led project covering about four and a half miles of freeway between the SR 522 interchange and SR 527. According to the City of Bothell, the project will widen I-405, add an express toll lane in each direction and build direct-access ramps, correct and repair fish barriers, and improve connections for pedestrians and cyclists to transit and trails, all in support of the future Stride bus rapid transit service.

Source: City of Bothell

Park and ride, buses and crossing the freeway on foot

The Canyon Park Park and Ride itself will also close for the full weekend, from 11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 until 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9, and every bus stop at the park and ride will close with it. WSDOT says bus service will still be maintained along scheduled routes, using alternative pick-up and drop-off locations, with reroute details published on the Community Transit blog.

Source: Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)

People who normally cross I-405 on the pedestrian bridge have two options while it is gone: Community Transit routes 106 or 120, or the temporary construction shuttle, following the signs posted at the site. Pedestrians should not expect to cross at the bridge location itself at any point during the weekend.

Source: Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)

The second bridge weekend in a row

This northbound closure follows the mirror-image job one weekend earlier: over the Halloween weekend, Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, crews closed all southbound I-405 lanes in Bothell to remove the portion of the same pedestrian bridge that stood over the southbound side, on the same weekend that northbound Interstate 5 was fully closed in Seattle for Ship Canal Bridge work. This coming weekend's closure is the northbound half of that same bridge-removal job, which is why WSDOT is announcing it as a separate, full closure rather than a repeat of the last one.

Source: My MLT News

For Punjabi truckers and commuters in the Seattle–Tacoma region, the practical point is timing: I-405 is the Eastside bypass that freight and commuter traffic uses to avoid downtown Seattle on I-5, and a full northbound shutdown pushes that traffic back onto I-5 and surface streets just as the weekend begins. Loads and commutes heading north toward Everett should build in extra time from Friday night through early Monday, and anyone who can shift a northbound trip outside the closure window will avoid the worst of the spillover.

What happens next: the freeway and the park and ride are scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, in time for the morning commute. The pedestrian crossing, however, stays closed long-term — the replacement bridge tied to the future Stride station is not due to open until 2028 — and further weekend closures are expected on this project as the widening between SR 522 and SR 527 continues.