Major Changes Coming To I-5 At Madigan Gate

LAKEWOOD, WA — Drivers who commute along I-5 will want to be aware of some significant changes coming to the freeway later this year.

The biggest change: a new shared exit to Berkeley Street and Thorne Lane, which could be open before by late May. According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, anyone heading to Madigan Army Medical Center, JBLM's Logistic Gate or the Tillicum and Woodbrook neighborhoods of Lakewood will end up using the new shared exit.

Here's a look from WSDOT at how that exit will work:

The change means new exit numbers as well, with the off ramp being divided into Exits 122A and 122B.

122A will take drivers to Berkeley Street, Jackson Avenue, JBLM's Madigan Gate, the Tillicum neighborhood, and Camp Murray. 122B heads to Thorne Lane, Murray Road, the Woodbrook neighborhood and portions of the Tillicum neighborhood, and JBLM's Logistics gate.

The northbound I-5 exits in the area will be renumbered, but otherwise will be unchanged.

The project will also add a new on-ramp from Thorne Lane to southbound I-5, which will only be accessible from the Murray Road roundabout past the Thorne Lane low bridge. That means drivers will no longer cross over the railroad to get onto I-5 in the area.

Of course, all these changes mean there will be some construction — and construction closures. WSDOT says to expect a weekend closure of northbound I-5's exit to Thorne Lane sometime in the coming few weeks. There will also be intermittent lane and ramp closures for paving and striping starting later this month. Finally, in early July crews will close the Thorne Lane roundabout as it connects to the west side of the overpass.

Those closures will be posted on WSDOT's Pierce and Thurston County travel planner.