TACOMA, Wash. — Construction along the stretch of Interstate 5 near Tacoma will be completed this weekend, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced. The announcement marks the end of a 22-year project to add HOV lanes between State Route 16, State Route 167 and I-5.
"We are happy about it. It's a plus for us," said Tacoma resident Patrick Gigimu.
The project, called The Tacoma/Pierce County HOV Program, cost $1.4 billion and is made up of 14 smaller projects that first broke ground in 2001.
"It is monumental. It's a relief. We're very excited. This is something that we have been working towards, for a very long time," said WSDOT spokesperson Cara Mitchell.
The final piece of the project was rebuilding the Puyallup River Bridge to accommodate the HOV lanes.
WSDOT said there will be overnight lane closures starting Thursday night to open the new HOV lanes. Southbound lane closure will be in place from 9 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday.
Friday morning, the southbound I-5 HOV lane across the new southbound I-5 Puyallup River Bridge to westbound SR 16 will open. Saturday morning, crews will open the northbound I-5 HOV lane from eastbound SR 16 to Port of Tacoma Road. Sunday morning, the final section of the southbound I-5 HOV lane will open from the King County line to 54th Ave in Fife.