Mercer Island Half-Marathon to Impact Traffic This Sunday

The will take place this Sunday, March 25 — and Patch will be there! 

The half marathon walk will begin at 7:30am, followed by the kid's dash, the 10K and at 9:00am, the Half Marathon run. Click to see the full schedule of events.

Mercer Island Patch will be hosting a table among several other sponsors at the Pre-Race Expo at the on Saturday, as well as taking part in the Race Village there on Sunday's race day. Please be sure to stop by and say hi!

The run will impact traffic and result in temporary local road closures and detours, according to WSDOT and the city of Mercer Island.

WSDOT will close the following I-90 exits early Sunday morning:

• The eastbound I-90 exit to West Mercer Way from 9 a.m. until noon
• Intermediate closures at the end of the westbound I-90 exit to Island Crest Way and Southeast 26th Street. The ramp will remain open.

The City's and have coordinated with race organizers to implement traffic mitigation efforts that minimize the inconvenience to Islanders while maximizing event safety.

Police recommend that citizens note the following closures and restrictions on Sunday and plan accordingly:  

• SE 24th Street between 78th Ave SE and 84th Ave SE will be closed in both directions from 8 a.m. to Noon.
• 81st Ave SE will be closed at North Mercer Way from 7:45 a.m. to Noon.
• SE 26th Street at the Island Crest Way Ramp will be closed from 8:15 a.m to 11:30 a.m.
• 2600 block of 84th Ave SE to will be closed from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
• North Mercer Way from Luther Burbank Park south parking lot to Gallagher Hill will be closed intermittently 7:30 a.m to 11:30 a.m. Local traffic only.
• Shorewood Drive at 90th Ave SE will be closed intermittently from 8:50 a.m to 10:30 a.m.
• Gallagher Hill at SE 40th Street will be closed from 7:45am to 8:15am and from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
• Southbound East Mercer Way from SE 36th St to SE 70th Pl will be closed from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
• Northbound West Mercer Way will be closed at SE 24th Street from 9 a.m. to Noon. There will also be intermittent closures at this intersection as the race passes.
• West bound SE 24th at 66th Ave SE will be closed from 10 a.m. to Noon.
• West Mercer Way Off Ramp will be closed from 8 a.m. to Noon.

There will be other intermittent closures at intersections along West Mercer Way and also near the as the race passes. The City asks motorists to use Island Crest Way as their primary North/South route during these times if possible. If you must use East, West, or North Mercer Way motorists are asked to travel in a counterclockwise direction to minimize delays.

Traffic may also be heavy on Saturday near Island Crest Way and the as a "" gets underway from 1-5 p.m.

The City thanks Islanders in advance for their patience. For more information or to register for the event visit: www.mercerislandhalf.com.

— Information from the city of Mercer Island and the Rotary Club of Mercer Island.