Washington drivers heading through Kirkland face a full weekend shutdown of the I-405 interchange at Northeast 85th Street. The Washington State Department of Transportation says the northbound and southbound on- and off-ramps at Exit 18 close at 10 p.m. Friday, August 14, 2026, and stay closed until 5 a.m. Monday, August 17.
Northeast 85th Street itself also closes between Sixth Street and 120th Avenue Northeast for the same window. If your hotel, dinner plan, or airport-side transfer depends on that Eastside cross street, rebuild the route now rather than learning it in a work zone at midnight.
- Where: I-405 Exit 18 at Northeast 85th Street in Kirkland, Washington.
- When: 10 p.m. Friday, August 14, to 5 a.m. Monday, August 17, 2026.
- Closed: All I-405 on- and off-ramps at NE 85th plus NE 85th Street from Sixth Street to 120th Ave NE.
- Why: Pavement grading and curb work for the I-405/NE 85th interchange and inline BRT station project.
- Detours: Signed detours are in place; check WSDOT real-time maps before each trip.
The official WSDOT weekend construction release for August 14 to 17 lists the Kirkland interchange as the most notable Eastside impact. FOX 13 Seattle repeated the same Exit 18 hours and the NE 85th Street surface closure for regional drivers.
WSDOT also updated the release to cancel a separate Tukwila southbound I-405 lane package that had been planned for the same weekend. That change does not reopen Kirkland Exit 18.
What exactly closes at Exit 18
Both directions of the I-405 ramps at Northeast 85th Street (Exit 18) close for the full weekend window. That means no direct exit from I-405 onto NE 85th and no direct entrance from NE 85th onto I-405 in either direction.
Northeast 85th Street between Sixth Street and 120th Avenue Northeast closes at the same time. That surface street is the east-west spine many drivers use for hotels, shopping, and local Kirkland destinations near the interchange.
Crews will grade pavement on NE 85th Street and install curbs as part of the I-405/Northeast 85th Street Interchange and Inline Bus Rapid Transit Station Project. The multi-year program is building a new interchange configuration and a Sound Transit inline BRT station in the median.
WSDOT has used similar full weekend closures at this interchange before, including an August 7 to 10 window. The city of Kirkland notes the same style of ramp and street closure is also expected again over September 11 to 13.
How this overlaps other Puget Sound weekend work
The same WSDOT release stacks SR 99 work in Seattle on top of the Kirkland interchange shutdown. The SR 99 tunnel closes overnight Friday into Saturday for routine maintenance, and northbound SR 99 closes at the First Avenue South Bridge from 5 a.m. Saturday through Sunday night for bridge preservation.
Northbound I-5 across the Ship Canal Bridge remains limited to two lanes through the end of 2026 under the Revive I-5 preservation program. Express lanes stay northbound only around the clock, and the Harvard Avenue on-ramp to northbound I-5 remains closed into mid-October.
That combination matters if you were hoping to bounce from I-405 to I-5 or SR 99 as a simple backup. When Exit 18 is dark and SR 99 is constrained, the remaining surface streets and alternate freeways absorb more volume and can snarl earlier than a single-project weekend.
Travelers connecting cruise embarkation or SEA airport days to Eastside lodging should open Deep Arrival’s Seattle cruise port to SEA airport transit guide and rebuild buffer time rather than assuming a free-flow I-405 hop.
Who should change plans before Friday night
Hotel guests and Airbnb stays along NE 85th Street near the interchange should recheck arrival instructions with their host. A booking that looked five minutes from I-405 may require a longer signed detour once the ramps drop.
Drivers using Exit 18 for Costco, medical, or restaurant trips on Saturday and Sunday should pick an alternate exit before leaving. Do not wait until the closed off-ramp forces a late weave.
Rideshare and delivery drivers should treat the NE 85th corridor as a known delay zone through early Monday morning. Apps may still suggest the closed ramps until live map layers refresh.
Visitors planning Seattle city days around Eastside lodging can use Deep Arrival’s Seattle things to do guide to front-load downtown or waterfront plans on the days when Eastside access is least reliable.
How to monitor detours without guessing
WSDOT points drivers to signed detours for the NE 85th work and to its Travel Center map and mobile app for live updates. Weather can force reschedules, so a plan that worked Friday afternoon can change by Saturday morning.
King County email alerts and WSDOT project updates are the cleanest way to catch a last-minute shift. The project hotline listed on the interchange project page is 425-224-2423 for site-specific questions.
Related recent Eastside freeway coverage includes the earlier northbound I-405 overnight closure near Bellevue and the continuing Revive I-5 Ship Canal Bridge lane reduction. Those streams remain separate from this Exit 18 weekend full ramp outage.
| If you are… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Staying near NE 85th Street this weekend | Confirm detour access with your hotel or host before Friday night check-in. |
| Using I-405 Exit 18 for Saturday or Sunday errands | Choose a different exit before you leave and follow signed detours only. |
| Connecting Eastside lodging to SEA or a cruise terminal | Add buffer and prefer routes that never require Exit 18 ramps. |
| Depending on SR 99 as your backup | Recheck SR 99 tunnel and First Avenue South Bridge hours the same weekend. |
| Driving after 5 a.m. Monday | Treat reopening as planned, not guaranteed, until live WSDOT maps clear the ramps. |
Freight and large vehicles need an extra check. Some detour streets include low-clearance bridges that exclude trucks. If you are piloting a rental van or box truck, read the detour map for height limits before you commit.
Local transit and park-and-ride options become more valuable when freeway access points disappear. WSDOT explicitly asks drivers to use transit where practical and to stay flexible on departure times through the weekend package.
- Leave earlier: Build extra time for any Eastside trip that used to rely on Exit 18.
- Rebook arrival windows: Hotels and dinner reservations near NE 85th need a detour path, not just a pin drop.
- Stack check: Pair this closure with SR 99 and Ship Canal I-5 constraints before you invent a backup freeway plan.
- Live map last: Recheck WSDOT Travel Center conditions before each outbound and return trip.
- Monday morning: Confirm the 5 a.m. reopening before you promise a tight Monday airport transfer.
If rain or other conditions force a schedule slip, WSDOT will post the change on the same project and travel channels. Until the ramps reopen on the map, treat Exit 18 as unavailable for the full Friday night through Monday morning window.
When do the Kirkland I-405 Exit 18 ramps close?
WSDOT closes the northbound and southbound on- and off-ramps at Northeast 85th Street from 10 p.m. Friday, August 14, 2026, until 5 a.m. Monday, August 17.
Is Northeast 85th Street itself closed?
Yes. Northeast 85th Street closes between Sixth Street and 120th Avenue Northeast for the same weekend window while crews grade pavement and install curbs.
Why is WSDOT closing the interchange?
The work supports the I-405/Northeast 85th Street Interchange and Inline BRT Station Project, including pavement grading and curb installation at the interchange.
Are there other major Seattle-area closures the same weekend?
Yes. WSDOT also lists SR 99 tunnel and First Avenue South Bridge work, and northbound I-5 remains reduced to two lanes across the Ship Canal Bridge through late 2026.
Where should drivers check for detours and last-minute changes?
Use signed detours on site, the WSDOT Travel Center map, the WSDOT app, and project updates. Weather can force schedule changes.
