Get ready to hit the brakes. Two massive construction projects at both ends of Interstate 5’s route 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 building a toll road between I-5 and State Route 509. As part of that project, a new bridge will be built over I-5 and another will be demolished.
A few miles north of the Thurston County line, new high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and interchanges are under construction near Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
HOV lanes
Near JBLM, crews are rebuilding the Steilacoom-DuPont Road interchange (exit 119) and expanding the HOV lanes of I-5 to Mounts Road. The $233 million project began in 2023 and will be completed in 2026.
The good news is that most of the work will be done during the day next to I-5 and will not impact traffic. However, motorists should expect diverted lanes in the early hours, overnight lane and ramp closures, reduced speed limits and possible long-term ramp closures.
The nightly closures have already started.
Two lanes of northbound I-5 at Steilacoom-DuPont Road will close nightly from 10:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m., Tuesday through Thursday.
One lane of southbound I-5 between Center Drive and Berkeley Street will be closed Tuesday through Thursday from 8:00 PM to 4:30 AM, and every Friday evening from 9:30 PM to 8:00 AM.
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 close no earlier than 7:00 PM and reopen at 4:30 AM the next morning.
WSDOT is reminding motorists to slow down, put down cell phones and keep their eyes on the road during construction areas.
Toll road girders
The under-construction toll highway that will connect I-5 to the Port of Tacoma in 2026 has been impacting motorists on roads along the 2-mile route for more than a year.
The $376 million project will eventually connect to the current end of SR 167 at North Meridian Avenue as part of WSDOT’s $2.38 billion Puget Sound Gateway Program.
According to WSDOT, the project will require full overnight closures of I-5 in both directions in late summer or early fall while crews install girders for a new bridge over the highway and demolish the old 70th Avenue bridge. 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.
During the first two weekends, 15 200-foot girders will be installed spanning all northbound and southbound lanes of I-5. The girders will support the bridge that carries the new SR 167 freeway over I-5.
During the second two weekends, crews will demolish the decommissioned 70th Avenue bridge over I-5.
New bridges required for the project are being built over Hylebos Creek, just north of the Fife bend. Since the beginning of 2023, they have been sending drivers on alternate paths.
The inner parts of the bridges have been completed. Crews have been building the outer portions since December. The new extra-wide bridges are needed for ramps to and from the highway that converge and diverge in the bridge area.
As traffic moves back to the new bridges, there will be occasional lane closures due to lane markings, WSDOT said. In the summer, the bridges must be completely finished so that the creek flows beneath them.
