Construction will begin next month on the $324 million final phase of the Tacoma/Pierce County High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Program, which will widen Interstate 5 (I-5) to alleviate traffic congestion.
“The final piece of the puzzle is now our focus,” John Wynands, Washington Department of Transportation regional administrator, said. “This monumental effort represents an over $1.6 billion investment in the highway infrastructure to not only increase capacity with new HOV facilities but also to rebuild I-5 through Tacoma.”
The final phase will widen I-5 between the Tacoma Dome and the Puyallup River. Old bridges will be removed, and a new bridge will be constructed for the southbound lanes of the interstate.
Construction is expected to take three years.
When the project is completed, the number of southbound lanes on I-5 will have increased from four to five. It will include an HOV lane for carpools and transit.
Northbound, one HOV lane will be added along with an additional lane at Pacific Avenue between the I-705 on-ramp and the Portland Avenue exit.
HOV lanes will be available in both directions through Tacoma and from Gig Harbor on State Route 16 to I-5 north into Everett.
The new lanes will open by the end of 2021.