The Washington State Department of Transportation is trying to avoid more emergency closures on I-5.

While North end drivers deal with overnight closures of I-5 between Everett and Marysville as the state replaces expansion joints on three bridges, some work has yet to begin.

The state is replacing 41 expansion joints on the Union, Steamboat and Ebey sloughs. Work began in the summer and will continue into next year.

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Ten of the expansion joints have already been replaced on the Union Slough Bridge, putting most of the work on that bridge to bed. Lisa Van Cise with WSDOT says the more difficult work is still ahead.

“Up next, though, is the big one,” she said.

WSDOT will begin working on Steam Boat Slough and Ebey Slough in January. It will reduce I-5 to just two lanes during weekend closures for about eight weeks. The lanes are going to be squeezed down by one foot.

Van Cise says drivers are going to need to look for alternates to keep the drive from grinding to a halt.

“[Y]ou start thinking about well we have more than 120,000 cars up and down that part of I-5, we need about 25-30 percent [of drivers] to find an alternate route so we don’t have a huge backup and delay,” she said.

The main alternates, Highway 9 and Highway 529, can’t really handle extra volume, so drivers will need to have some patience.

“No matter your alternate route &#8212 carpool or the bus &#8212 it’s going to take you a longer amount of time to get through the work zone,” Van Cise said.

The closures are scheduled through March, but they could be extended into June, based on weather conditions.

The work is vital.

“These expansion joints are 20-30 years old, so they are just past their prime,” Van Cise explained. “So, what we’re trying to do is get them fixed &#8212 repaired &#8212 before something pops up that can cause an emergency closure to fix them.”

Drivers will also noticed a reduced speed limit on the freeway during the weekend closures. Because the lanes are going to be squeezed down, the speed limit will drop to 45 MPH.