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This photo is a computer-enhanced image of what I-5 will look like after the new southbound and northbound bridges are completed. View
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Why is WSDOT
building new I-5 bridges over the Puyallup River along with new HOV lanes?
This project is part of the Tacoma/Pierce County HOV Program, a series of highway projects to provide operational improvements and high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes on Interstate 5 (I-5), State Route 16 (SR 16), and State Route 167 (SR 167). Through Tacoma, heavy I-5 traffic creates frequent congestion. HOV lanes will help ensure that transit, vanpools and carpools move efficiently through the corridor, especially when traffic is congested in the adjacent general-purpose lanes. This reliability tends to increase ridership in multi-passenger vehicles and thereby helps ease demand in the general-purpose lanes, making the overall highway system work better for everyone.
The most notable work to occur in this project is building a new southbound Puyallup River Bridge that will be straighter and wider than the existing bridge. Both of these features are improvements that will help traffic move smoothly through the area.
The southbound bridge will be built after an adjacent northbound bridge is complete.
The End Result
In addition to a new southbound bridge and HOV lane over the Puyallup River, this project will make numerous improvements to southbound I-5. Those improvements include:
- Realigning and rebuilding a new southbound I-5 exit to East 27th Street.
- Rebuilding East 27th Street from the Puyallup River Bridge exit to the southbound I-5 on-ramp.
- Removing the structures and rebuilding the southbound on and off ramps crossing the T Street utilities.
- Demolishing the existing bridges over the Puyallup River.
- Upgrading signing, illumination, stormwater collection facilities, and water quality treatment facilities.
Project Benefits
This project will provide a number of benefits to motorists.
Safety
- Widens shoulders.
- Improves ramp alignments and curves.
- Improves lighting.
Seismic Upgrades
- The new southbound bridge will be built to current seismic standards.
Traffic and Operations
- Additional capacity will improve traffic flow.
- Reduces conflicting traffic movements or weaving areas.
- Adds on-ramp metering to maintain traffic flow.
Environmental Improvements
- Improves stormwater collection and treatment.
Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Improvements
- Adds traffic cameras.
- Improves electronic signage for traveler notification.
- Adds highway advisory radio capacity.
- Installs traffic data collectors. (WSDOT uses data from the collectors to provide traffic information to the public and to monitor traffic conditions.)
Information gathered from ITS devices helps WSDOT respond more quickly to highway incidents, which in turn helps reduce traffic delays and blockages caused by incidents.
What is the project timeline?
Design for this project is complete, in conjunction with the I-5 - Portland to Port of Tacoma Road - Northbound HOV project. Construction will begin once the Northbond HOV project is complete. Construction of the Southbound HOV project will take three years to complete once it starts.
Financial Information
Project signage will reflect the cost of construction engineering, project bid award and sales tax.
| Financial Data for PIN 300509S |
| Funding Source |
Amount ($ in thousands) |
| 2003 Gas Tax (Nickel Funding) |
$14,968 |
| 2005 Gas Tax (TPA) |
$259,106 |
| Pre-Existing Funds (PEF) |
$0 |
| Total |
$274,074 |
|
This project is funded from the following sources:
How can I get more information?
Contact:
Claudia Bingham Baker
Olympic Region Communications Manager
360-357-2789
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