Date:
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Contact:
Jamie Swift, WSDOT Communications (360) 357-2703
Lisa Murdock, WSDOT Communications (360) 357-2789
TACOMA – Drivers in Pierce County may feel like they’ve entered the Twilight Zone over the next several days, but there’s no need to adjust the dial.
WSDOT is adding a new HOV lane on eastbound SR 16 and implementing two traffic revisions on northbound I-5. While there’s nothing sci-fi about these changes, they do require drivers’ full attention and may cause galactic backups during the adjustment phase.
“If ever there was a time to put down the cell phone, put both hands on the wheel, and really focus on driving, this is it,” said Kevin Dayton, WSDOT Olympic Region administrator. “Please prepare for delays, as well.”
A prolonged and welcome break from the snow, ice, wind and rain that gripped the region for weeks provides crews the proper conditions to stripe SR 16 for the HOV lane opening – scheduled for Friday morning. The preparation work requires single-lane closures on eastbound SR 16 starting at 9 p.m. Thursday.
The carpool lane stretches three miles from Jackson Avenue to Union Avenue and is the first segment of 79 miles of HOV lanes planned for Pierce County. Near the Center Street curve, the HOV lane reverts to a general-purpose lane. Drivers would do well to move left before getting to Union Avenue, where the new third lane drops completely.
As fate would have it, implementation of two other traffic revisions on I-5 – unrelated to the Union to Jackson HOV opening – are also planned for the Tacoma corridor.
“In reality, it turns out to be a good thing all these changes are happening in this short time frame,” said Steve Roark, WSDOT assistant regional administrator for construction. “It’s one adjustment period for drivers.”
These revisions – which last until fall – are necessary to keep drivers safe during bridge-demolition work over I-5 near the Tacoma Dome. Removing the bridges makes way for a safer, less congested freeway that will accommodate HOV lanes through downtown.
• Crews tonight at 11 will close the onramp from eastbound SR 16 to northbound I-5 for striping work that reduces the merge lanes from SR 16 to northbound I-5 from two lanes to one. By 5 a.m. Thursday, the lane reduction will be in place and the ramp reopened.
• Overnight Saturday, crews will reduce northbound I-5 to one lane near 38th Street in preparation for a traffic shift that moves drivers to the right, onto new lanes, to get them around bridge-demolition work.
For more information on these projects, visit www.tacomatraffic.com.
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