The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will be one of the few things traveling fast across Lake Washington when they take to the sky for Seafair weekend beginning Thursday, Aug. 4.

The Washington State Department of Transportation is required by the Federal Aviation Administration to close the Interstate 90 floating bridge five times to drivers, cyclists and pedestrians through Sunday, Aug. 7, while the Blue Angels practice for and perform at the Seafair Air Show. The closures—which will each be approximately 90 minutes in duration—help keep the public and pilots safe and minimize distractions.

The closures will extend from the I-90/Interstate 5 interchange in Seattle to Island Crest Way on Mercer Island. The I-90 express lanes and some I-90 and I-5 ramps will close up to one hour before flight times, and other I-90 ramps will close up to 30 minutes beforehand. Drivers who need to cross Lake Washington should plan to do so at least one hour before the closures or use an alternate route, such as Interstate 405, State Route 520 or State Route 522.

I-90 floating bridge closures

Thursday, Aug. 4: 9:45 a.m. to noon and 1:15 to 2:40 p.m. (practice).

Friday, Aug. 5: 1:15 to 2:40 p.m. (practice).

Saturday, Aug. 6: 1:15 to 2:40 p.m. (Seafair Air Show).

Sunday, Aug. 7: 1:15 to 2:40 p.m. (Seafair Air Show).

The I-90 express lanes will close one hour prior to closure times all four days.

Ramp closures

East Mercer Way to westbound I-90 (up to one hour beforehand).

West Mercer Way to westbound I-90 (up to one hour beforehand).

Northbound I-5 to eastbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes beforehand).

Southbound I-5 to eastbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes beforehand).

Northbound Rainier Avenue South to eastbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes beforehand).

Southbound Rainier Avenue South to eastbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes beforehand).

Eastbound I-90 to West Mercer Way (up to 30 minutes beforehand).

Island Crest Way to westbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes beforehand).

76th Avenue Southeast to westbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes beforehand).

SR 520 open during I-90 closures

During the I-90 closures, the SR 520 floating bridge will remain open to traffic and tolls will be collected according to the rate schedule. Infrequent users of the SR 520 bridge may want to consider setting up a short-term Good To Go! account for Seafair weekend.

Puget Sound area drivers can get real-time traffic information on their phone with the WSDOT traffic app, by tracking the WSDOT traffic Twitter feed, or by visiting the Seattle Area Construction page.