TILLICUM, Wash. -- Frustrated motorists who may be driven to tears on Interstate 5 will soon have a new shoulder to drive on through Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
The Washington State Department of Transportation received a $15 million federal grant to enable the state to open a one-mile section of shoulder to drivers during peak traffic times.
A WSDOT spokesperson said the lanes could be open by late 2013.
The state said the extra lane will increase speeds past the base.
WSDOT expects drivers to see relief in mid-January when metered on-ramps and additional traffic cameras are activated.
The help cannot come soon enough for the 150,000 motorists who drive on the section of I-5 everyday.
Rush hour isn't one hour any more, said O.C. Leontine, who drives from Lacey to his restaurant, A Taste of Soul, in Tillicum five days a week.
It's ugly, he said, when asked to describe his commute. Leontine is skeptical driving on the shoulder will make that much of a difference.
Something's better than nothing, said Leontine, It's a problem that's going to have to be a little bit more than just fixing with a bandaid.
WSDOT said adding a fourth lane throughout the JBLM stretch of I-5 would cost around $1 billion.
