Prepare to brake. Two massive construction projects on both ends of Interstate 5 through Pierce County will impact traffic this summer, according to the state Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
Near the King County line, the State Route 167 Completion Project is constructing a toll road between I-5 and State Route 509. As part of this project, a new bridge is to be constructed over the I-5 and another demolished.
A few miles north of the Thurston County line, new high-occupancy vehicle lanes and interchanges are under construction near Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Toll road beams
The under-construction toll road that will connect I-5 to the Port of Tacoma in 2026 has been impacting drivers on surface streets along the 2-mile-long route for more than a year.
The $376 million project will ultimately connect to the current end of SR 167 at North Meridian Avenue as part of WSDOT’s $2.38 billion Puget Sound Gateway program.
In late summer or early fall, the project will require full nighttime closures of I-5 in both directions while crews install girders for a new bridge over the highway and demolish the old 70th Avenue Bridge, according to WSDOT. The closures will take place over four consecutive weekends. I-5 will be closed between State Route 18 and 54th Avenue East. The ramps will also be closed.
Over the first two weekends, 15 223-foot-long girders that will span all north and southbound lanes of I-5 will be put in place. The beams will support the bridge that carries the new SR 167 freeway over I-5.
Over the second two weekends, crews will demolish the decommissioned 70th Avenue bridge over I-5.
The new bridges needed for the project are being constructed over Hylebos Creek, just north of the Fife Bend. They have been sending drivers on circuitous routes since the beginning of 2023.
The interior parts of the bridges are completed. Since December, the teams have been building the exterior parts. The new extra-wide bridges are needed for highway on- and off-ramps that will merge and diverge in the bridge area.
As traffic is moved back to the new bridges, occasional lane closures will occur for lane markings, WSDOT said. The bridges are expected to be fully completed by summer, with the creek flowing beneath them.
HOV lanes
Near JBLM, crews are rebuilding the Steilacoom-DuPont Road interchange (exit 119) and extending I-5 HOV lanes to Mounts Road. The $233 million project began in 2023 and will be completed in 2026.
The good news is that most of the daytime work is happening adjacent to I-5 and will not impact traffic. However, in the early morning hours, drivers should expect lane changes, overnight lane and ramp closures, reduced speed limits, and possible long-term ramp closures.
Nighttime closures will begin immediately after Memorial Day weekend.
Two lanes of northbound I-5 at Steilacoom-DuPont Road will close from 10:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. nightly, Tuesday through Thursday through May 31.
One lane of southbound I-5 between Center Drive and Berkeley Street will close from 8 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. nightly, Tuesday through Thursday through May 31, and from 9:30 p.m. to 8 a.m. each Friday evening until May 31.
Crews will close the northbound and southbound I-5 on- and off-ramps at Mounts Road, Center Drive, Steilacoom-DuPont Road and 41st Division Drive overnight. The ramps will close no earlier than 7 p.m. and reopen at 4:30 a.m. the following morning.
WSDOT reminds drivers to slow down, put down their cell phones and keep their eyes on the road in construction zones.
As construction season approaches, The News Tribune will examine the conditions of Pierce County’s roads and streets over the coming weeks as part of its In the Spotlight initiative.
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