Earlier this summer Washington State Department of Transportation’s contractor developed an ambitious but attainable schedule to move lanes of southbound I-5 to the new Puyallup River Bridge. That would have set the stage for opening HOV lanes from Fife to Tacoma before the end of 2021.
As seen in other industries, supply chain issues exacerbated by the pandemic are affecting the contractor’s schedule. This issue, compounded by subcontractor availability and weather, has changed the timing of connecting and opening the I-5 HOV lanes from Fife to Tacoma. The new schedule now has the HOV lanes open in summer 2022.
Both directions of I-5 from SR 16 in Tacoma to Port of Tacoma Road in Fife are in a temporary configuration with shifted and narrowed lanes and shoulders. Sitting in traffic congestion through the construction zone is not pleasant. The timeline has unfortunately changed. It’s further out, but it is still within the original project timeline.
Resetting the timeline
- The Washington State Department of Transportation anticipates that when work is finished at the T Street work zone this winter, the contractor can move into the next phase of construction, which is moving all lanes of southbound I-5 on to the new bridge.
- From there, northbound I-5 lanes can be shifted into final alignment across the Puyallup River.
- The connected HOV lanes from the Fife Curve to SR 16 will open sometime in summer 2022.
- The opening of the new East L Street bridge is currently on the same schedule as the opening of the new I-5 HOV lanes.
Despite the delay in getting I-5 lanes into final configuration, the revised construction schedule is still within the original project completion timeline.
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