Friday, March 13, 2015

I-5 Expansion Will Close Pacific Ave. Overpass

April’s showers won’t dampen the demolition of a four-lane overpass spanning Interstate 5 in downtown Tacoma. The Pacific Avenue overpass will soon be turned into a pile of rubble to make way for high occupancy vehicle lanes.

The bridge demolition is part of the Washington State Department of Transportation’s I-5 - M Street to Portland Avenue – HOV project. The Pacific Avenue overpass is one of two bridges that will be removed and rebuilt in this project to create HOV lanes through Tacoma.

Pacific Avenue will close at I-5 Monday, April 6, and remain closed until March 2016, while crews demolish and rebuild the overpass. During the closure, drivers can cross I-5 using a signed detour route to nearby McKinley Way. Once the new overpass at Pacific Avenue is open to traffic, WSDOT will close the McKinley Way overpass for 18 months while crews replace it.

“We know this lengthy Pacific Avenue closure will affect Tacoma businesses and residents, which is why we won’t close both Pacific Avenue and McKinley Way at the same time,” said WSDOT Olympic Region Administrator Kevin Dayton.

Demolition of the Pacific Avenue overpass is expected to take approximately three months. Construction crews will first demolish the bridge approaches and then the bridge, working overnight hours when I-5 traffic volumes are lowest. Crews will start on the northbound side of I-5 near the Interstate 705/State Route 7 interchange. Drivers should expect lane and ramp closures on I-5 during demolition, and details of the lane closures will be forthcoming.

Help for drivers
Real-time travel and traffic information are available.
Online tools that provide traffic camera images and a map of highway incidents and closures.
The 511 travel information hotline. For out-of-state callers, it’s 1-800-695-ROAD (7623).
The WSDOT mobile app, email alerts and other tools, such as Twitter.
Overhead and roadside electronic signs.

Hyperlinks within the release:
Project web page: www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/piercecountyhov/i5_msttoportland/
Online tools: www.wsdot.com/traffic/
Mobile app: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Inform/mobile.htm
Travel info: www.wsdot.wa.gov/inform
WSDOT regional Twitter account: https://twitter.com/wsdot_tacoma

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