Community Corner
Fire Detector Testing on Eastbound I-90 This Weekend Diverts Traffic
WSDOT announced the traffic will be diverted from eastbound lanes to the express lanes on Friday and Saturday nights due to testing new fire detection equipment in the I-90 tunnel.
Islanders coming home from Seattle after 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday this weekend (April 20-22) will be diverted to the I-90 Express Lanes, beginning west of the Mount Baker Tunnel and across Mercer Island.
Mainline eastbound I-90 reopens at 7 a.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday. Access to Mercer Island eastbound from the I-90 Express Lanes is available at the 77th Avenue Southeast and Island Crest Way.
The Washington State Department of Transportation will close the eastbound I-90 tunnels in Seattle and Mercer Island to test new technology for improved fire detection and response inside the tunnels. Technicians will set small, controlled fires in the tunnels to test a new video-detection system. A few fires will be set Friday night in the Mercer Island tunnel, but most of the fires will be set in the Mount Baker Tunnel Saturday night. The fires, set in metal pans 2-8 feet long, should not be visible to traffic, but some smoke might be seen escaping tunnel ventilation shafts during the tests.
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