Overnight I-5 Closures In Tacoma Set For Friday

TACOMA, WA — If you need to pass through Tacoma overnight this weekend, you'll want to be prepared for some delays and backups, warns the Washington State Department of Transportation.

That's because, WSDOT crews will be closing several lanes of I-5 while they restripe the highway Friday night and into Saturday morning.

The southbound lane closures are set to begin at 11 p.m. Friday near Wapato Way East. By 1:30 a.m. three lanes of southbound I-5 will be totally closed. All lanes will reopen by 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, one northbound lane will be closed from the Port of Tacoma Road overpass to 54th Avenue east from 10 p.m. Friday through 7:30 a.m. Saturday. The 54th Avenue East on-ramp to southbound I-5 and the exit from southbound I-5 to Port of Tacoma road will also be closed from 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m Saturday.

During the closure, WSDOT says drivers should expect to see delays. The agency asks that commuters slow down in work zones, pay attention, and drive carefully.

The restriping project is related to the opening of the new I-5 Puyallup River Bridge, and will help shift the southbound lanes into their final configuration. A second restriping project, which will finish up the new southbound HOV lane, is set for later this summer.