Major Work At I-5, SR 16 In Tacoma Will Finish Soon: WSDOT

GIG HARBOR, WA - Work on the mangled I-5 and SR-16 interchange in Tacoma began in the year 2000. Eighteen years later, WSDOT has announced there's an end in sight.

The entire HOV project is made up of 17 smaller projects, and there are now just four left to complete, according to WSDOT. Two of those projects are within weeks of completion.

Here's what's going on right now, according to WSDOT:

• The northbound I-5 HOV work near the Puyallup River Bridge will wrap up in a few weeks. The contractor for the project is working on landscaping, striping, and storm drains. After that, there will be a couple of weeks with no construction before more I-5 widening through Tacoma begins.
• At the I-5, SR 16 interchange, crews are building new southbound I-5 lanes and bridges to connect HOV lanes to SR 16. That work could finish up as soon as spring 2019.
• Near the McKinley Way overpass, a bunch of work has finished up. From WSDOT: "The ramp from eastbound SR 16 to northbound I-5 now has two lanes for travelers to use instead of one. Not only did this project widen I-5 to make room for HOV lanes, it replaced all the original concrete with a new roadway surface, rebuilt the Pacific Avenue overpass and built a new bridge over I-705."

Here's the remaining construction, expected to begin in February:

• Demolish and replaces the L Street overpass spanning I-5
• Replaces the existing concrete pavement on I-5 from McKinley Way to Portland Avenue
• Upgrade signs, lighting, and storm water ponds
• Demolish the old northbound and southbound bridges that span the Puyallup River
• Opens HOV lanes in both directions of I-5 through downtown Tacoma, providing a complete HOV system that extends from SR 16 in Gig Harbor to I-5 north of Seattle

A person who was born at the beginning of this construction is now a freshman in college. They may graduate before it's totally finished.

Image via WSDOT