Date:
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Contact:
Jamie Swift, WSDOT Communications, (360) 357-2703
Lisa Murdock, WSDOT Communications, (360) 357-2789
TACOMA – Traffic flow on southbound I-5 through downtown Tacoma could get ugly starting April 1.
Getting southbound traffic around bridge-demolition work requires a major shift – a fairly dramatic detour into the regular northbound lanes. Drivers will negotiate sharp curves getting in and out of the detour, prompting WSDOT to lower the speed limit to 45 mph on the mile-long stretch.
Drivers also should be aware of an extended barrier between the southbound mainline and the merge lane from downtown Tacoma. The barrier severely reduces the time drivers will have to merge left to the mainline from downtown, against the grain of mainline drivers maneuvering right to exit at State Route 16 or South 38th Street.
“It could be a mess for a while,” said WSDOT field engineer Troy Watts. “The worst part will be the first few days, until drivers become familiar with the changes.”
The finish line – spring 2008 – is in sight for this safety and mobility project on I-5 between the Tacoma Mall and the Tacoma Dome. The WSDOT project widens the freeway, creates space for future HOV lanes, and adds northbound collector-distributor lanes aimed at reducing collisions.
But a few more hurdles remain before drivers can reap their reward. Over the next five months, drivers need to start planning for delays if they’re traveling southbound on I-5 through Tacoma.
Here’s what drivers need to know:
- Implementing the shift: Between 10 p.m. Saturday, March 31 and 10 a.m., Sunday, April 1, if the weather cooperates, crews will implement the shift, which reroutes southbound traffic into the now-vacant northbound lanes. (Northbound traffic was shifted earlier this year onto new lanes built as part of the I-5 HOV Improvements, S. 48th St. to Pacific Ave. project.) Reconfiguring and re-striping the freeway requires taking southbound I-5 down to one lane, which is likely to lead to extended backups.
- Sharp curves, new speed limit: Due to the sharp curves through the detour, the advisory speed limit will be lowered to 45 mph for about a mile-stretch through downtown. Drivers really need to slow down and focus on driving.
- Less time to merge, maneuver: An extended barrier between merging traffic from downtown Tacoma and mainline traffic will cut by more than half the stretch of freeway where drivers jockey for position to merge onto the mainline or off the mainline to get to State Route 16 and the 38th Street off-ramp.
- Light at the end of the tunnel: WSDOT realizes it’s a tough-go through Tacoma, right now. But about the time the weather starts warming up next year, Pierce County’s busiest stretch of freeway (ranks among the state’s top high-accident locations) will be safer and more enjoyable to drive.
- Focus on collision/disabled response: Shoulder-area is scarce through the detour, which means collisions and disabled vehicles will have a greater-than-normal impact on traffic flow. WSDOT is addressing this issue with two pull-out areas and increased Incident Response Team focus on this stretch of freeway.
- More information on the Web: www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/tacoma or www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/PierceCountyHOV/I5_HOV_S48th_Pacific/
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