March 6, 2020
FROM WSDOT: Travelers who use Interstate 5 through Lakewood may want to plan extra time into their trips or reschedule discretionary travel during overnight hours this weekend.
Starting at 10:30 p.m. on Friday, March 6 and again on Saturday, March 7, both directions of I-5 will be reduced to a single lane. That single lane will detour up and over the new Berkeley Street off- and on-ramps.
The overnight lane closures will be in place until 6:30 a.m. Saturday, March 7 and 7:30 a.m., March 8 respectively.
Traffic engineers with the Washington State Department of Transportation anticipate up to three-mile backups on both northbound and southbound I-5 approaching the overpass during the overnight work.
Why is this work happening?
The lane closures allow crews to demolish the old overpass at night when traffic volumes are at their lowest. For safety reasons, this work cannot take place over live traffic.
The 1954 Berkeley Street overpass has to be removed in order to widen I-5. Once the old overpass is gone, construction crews can move forward with building an additional lane in each direction on I-5.
An updated construction schedule that lists overnight ramp closures for this project is available on Tacomatraffic.com. Before heading out the door, travelers can find the latest road conditions on the WSDOT app and by following the WSDOT regional Twitter feed.