Vicinity Map in Tacoma. View
entire map.
The photo immediately above is a computer-enhanced image of what I-5 will look like after the new southbound bridge is completed. View
larger image.
The top photo shows what I-5 will look like once the new northbound bridge is built, but before the southbound bridge is built. Note that during this interim phase, all northbound and southbound I-5 traffic will be temporarily using the northbound bridge. View
larger image.
Although the new northbound bridge will be wider than the existing bridge, it will not be wide enough to carry all I-5 traffic as well as northbound and southbound HOV lanes. The HOV lanes will be available to HOV traffic only after the southbound bridge is complete and traffic is moved onto its respective bridges.
January 2013
- Design work on this project is occurring simultaneously with design work on an adjacent northbound project.
- In April 2010, the Washington State Department of Transportation issued a Determination of Non-Significance for the three projects on Interstate 5:
- I-5: M Street to Portland Avenue – HOV;
- I-5: Portland Avenue to Port of Tacoma Road – Northbound HOV
- I-5: Portland Avenue to Port of Tacoma Road – Southbound HOV.
- The Federal Highway Administration has granted the Tacoma/Pierce County HOV Program a Finding of No Signficant Impact (FONSI) for the I-5 HOV projects that extend between M Street and the Port of Tacoma Road in Tacoma. This FONSI is available for viewing on-line. It is also available for viewing in the downtown Tacoma Library (Northwest Section), the Fife City Hall and various Pierce County libraries in the Tacoma area.
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.
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 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?
The project is in design in conjunction with its northbound neighbor. It is scheduled to go on ad in 2015, and to be constructed between 2015 and 2018.
Financial Information
Project signage will reflect the cost of construction engineering, project bid award and sales tax.
This project is funded from the following sources:
How can I get more information?
Contact:
Claudia Bingham Baker , Olympic Region Communications Manager
WSDOT Tacoma/Pierce County HOV Office
P.O. Box 47445
Olympia, WA 98504-7445
Phone: 360-357-2789
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