Driving Eastbound on State Route 16 This Week? Expect Nighttime Closures

Night closures of eastbound State Route 16 will occur again this week while crews continue setting bridge girders as part of the Washington State Department of Transportation’s SR 16: Eastbound Nalley Valley project. 

Throughout the summer, crews will set 83 girders while building three separate bridges:

1. The new permanent eastbound SR 16 viaduct
2. The South Sprague Avenue on-ramp to southbound I-5
3. The South Sprague Avenue on-ramp to northbound I-5

Next week’s closures are scheduled as follows:

At 11 p.m., each night from Monday, June 24 through Thursday, June 27, all lanes of eastbound SR 16 will be closed at South Union Avenue, along with the South Union Avenue on-ramp to eastbound SR 16. During the closures, traffic will be detoured via South Union Avenue. The lanes and ramp will reopen each following morning by 4 a.m.

At 9 p.m., on those same nights, crews will close all lanes of South Tacoma Way between South Pine Street and South Wilkeson Street. South Tacoma Way will reopen by 4:30 a.m. each following morning. At 11 p.m. on Friday night, June 28, South Tacoma Way will again be closed until 7 a.m. Saturday, June 29. During the closures, motorists will be detoured via South Center Street.

Weather-permitting, crews will also close the southbound Interstate 5 exit to westbound SR 16 at 11 p.m. on Monday, June 24to restripe that segment of highway. Motorists will be detoured via the South 56th Street interchange.

Crews will reopen the exit by 5 a.m. Tuesday, June 25. An hour later at 6 a.m., crews will open the newly-built southbound I-5 exit to South 38th Street. The ramp has been closed since April to rebuild it in an alignment compatible with the ultimate I-5/SR 16 interchange. In the event of inclement weather, crews will postpone the striping work and the reopening of the new South 38th Street ramp.

On Friday, June 28, crews will again close eastbound SR 16 at South Union Avenue and the Union Avenue on-ramp to eastbound SR 16 between 1 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. for girder-setting activities. This work is not weather-dependent.

Similar closures will be announced throughout the summer as this phase of construction is completed. For more information about Nalley Valley construction, motorists can visit WSDOT’s SR 16 Eastbound Nalley Valley project website. Information about highway closures around the South Sound can be found at tacomatraffic.com.