5 Lanes Open on I-5 Puyallup River Bridge

TACOMA, WA — Good news for commuters who pass through Tacoma! As of Friday morning, there are now five lanes open on I-5 southbound over the Puyallup River Bridge.

Shifting traffic to the new, 1,579-foot-long bridge should come as a relief to drivers. Previously, northbound and southbound drivers had been forced to share the northbound bridge for almost three years, causing traffic to frequently slow to a crawl.

“Drivers are going to immediately notice they are no longer sharing a bridge with the northbound traffic,” said Fife Project Engineer Tom Slimak. “We are excited to be opening lanes and providing some relief for commuters.”

The five lanes newly-opened include four general purpose lanes and one auxiliary lane, which runs from the Port of Tacoma on-ramp to northbound State Route 167. The lane should help give drivers more time to merge in and out of traffic, WSDOT said, hopefully making the drive a smoother, faster experience.

One lane remains closed. It should open later this summer, and will serve as an HOV lane for cars with multiple passengers. An exact opening date for the HOV lane has not been set, but organizers say it should happen around when the new East L Street bridge over I-5 is completed.

The opening is part of a larger I-5 renovation project from the Department of Transportation. When finished, it will have:

• Built a new southbound I-5 Puyallup River Bridge that meets current seismic standards.
• Rebuilt the L Street overpass across I-5.
• Replaced the original I-5 roadway surface from McKinley Avenue to Portland Avenue.
• Upgraded signing, lighting and traffic data sensors.
• Improved stormwater collection and treatment facilities.
• Removed the original 1962 I-5 bridges over the Puyallup River.