Nighttime drivers should plan for delays on southbound Interstate 5 around Lakewood, DuPont and Tacoma this week.
Crews are busy building three separate construction projects along mainline I-5. Lane and ramp closures that took place Monday and Tuesday nights, Aug. 25 and 26, caused lengthy backups near Lakewood. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes and to plan extra time to reach their destinations.
In addition to the below lane closures, numerous ramps will close through the corridor.
Wednesday, Aug. 27, to Thursday morning, Aug. 28
• In Tacoma, beginning at 8 p.m. tonight, crews will close one lane of southbound I-5 near M Street. At 10 p.m., crews will close a second lane. During the closure, crews will restripe the inside lanes of southbound I-5 and build a construction zone in the I-5 median from State Route 16 to M Street. All lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 28.
• The restriping work will allow crews to implement a six-week, around-the-clock closure of the southbound I-5 left lane between Yakima Street and SR 16 starting 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27. That closure will reduce southbound I-5 from four to three lanes just north of SR 16. During the closure, crews will rebuild the median so it can carry traffic during future traffic shifts.
• In Lakewood, southbound I-5 will be reduced to one lane for paving activities between Gravelly Lake Drive and the JBLM main gate starting at 8 p.m. All lanes will reopen at 5 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 28. Reducing southbound I-5 to one lane resulted in lengthy backups and congestion Monday and Tuesday nights, Aug. 25 and 26, and motorists are encouraged to plan accordingly.
• In the Washington State Department of Transportation’s continuing efforts to revise the Center Drive interchange, crews in DuPont will close the southbound I-5 right lane near Mounts Road at 8 p.m. At 10 p.m., crews also will also close Center Drive on-ramp to southbound I-5. Once reopened, they will close Mounts Road on-ramp to southbound I-5. Both the ramps and lane will reopen at 5 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 28.
Thursday, Aug. 28 to Friday morning, Aug. 29
• Again in Lakewood, crews will reduce southbound I-5 to one lane for paving operations between Gravelly Lake Drive and the JBLM main gate starting at 8 p.m. All lanes will reopen at 5 a.m. the following day.
• Further south in DuPont, the southbound I-5 left lane will again close near Mounts Road from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Crews will also close JBLM Main Gate on-ramp to southbound I-5 from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., and the Mounts Road on-ramp to southbound I-5 from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m.
